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Episode 5 of the Disengaged Dozen is Now on YouTube

Andrew Sellon — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 03:23:46 +0000

Here we go, folks! Episode #5 in a series of 6. This time around, my character Benny the Boss discovers an employee busy polishing his resumé on the job. What’s a manager to do? Click the picture to find out! And if you enjoy the video, remember to click the “Like” button on YouTube. Kevin Resnick is a hoot as the unhappy employee, trying desperately to cover his tracks. Writer/director Dewey Moss had a field day with the lines for this one, not to mention all those wacky phone calls. Classic. Enjoy! Only one more after this episode.

Episode 4 of The Disengaged Dozen is Now on YouTube

Andrew Sellon — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:42:11 +0000

I’m back online in part four of the six-part series The Disengaged Dozen. This time, my character Benny the Boss is faced with employee Sandy Bagger, an unhappy and devious camper determined to pull the rug out from under Benny. David Perlman is a hoot as Sandy, and I had great fun playing straight man to his nefarious doings. Writer/director Dewey Moss of the Bernard Hodes Group clearly had a field day with this one.

Will Sandy succeed in sandbagging Benny?? Click the picture on the right to find out! (And remember to click “Like” on YouTube!)

David Mamet’s Race

Andrew Sellon — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:33:44 +0000

Last week, we went to see buddy Afton C. Williamson, who has stepped into the starring role of Susan in David Mamet’s hot-button Broadway play, Race. Afton was every bit as fabulous as I would have expected, and the role turned out to be a very juicy one! It was great seeing her take advantage of it, and claim her space alongside wonderful co-stars Eddie Izzard (whom we also loved in the stunning Joe Egg revival a few years back, as well as in his one-man standup shows), Dennis Haysbert (super in the play, and maybe one of the nicest smiles on Broadway), and Richard Thomas (whom we loved in Terrence McNally’s fascinating Prelude and Liebestod). Izzard and Haysbert are beautifully matched as a lethal (and very real) pair of lawyers, Thomas radiates the utter blindness of an overprivileged party boy, and Afton deftly supplies the necessary Mamet “spark” to kindle the flames. All were excellent, and all were clearly having a great time with each other, playing out Mamet’s sly, twisty, and provocative plot. I recall the reviews dubbing this play a lesser work, but I’d have to disagree. I think it’s economical, and makes its points beautifully. It throws the audience into a race-related legal situation, and stirs up the plot repeatedly with little revelations so that as audience members we’re constantly questioning who to root for, and whether our own racial prejudices might be affecting our sympathies. Having whacked the hornet’s nest, Mamet ends the play abruptly, leaving us to continue the discussion outside the theatre. Afton has the last line, and delivers it like a cannon volley over the prow of a well-armed battleship. It’s an extremely clever play, and also very funny despite the serious topic at hand. If you haven’t already seen it, you really should. It closes August 21st.

After the show, we went backstage to congratulate Afton, and she invited us to meet her co-stars. We had a great time chatting; what a gracious, funny, lovely bunch! They clearly have a wonderful time together offstage as well. Congrats to all!

Episode 2 of The Disengaged Dozen is Now on YouTube

Andrew Sellon — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 15:05:36 +0000

Episode 2 of “The Disengaged Dozen” is now online! Just click the image on the right to launch the video on YouTube.

This time my character Benny the Boss helps out Nervous Neddie, an employee so terrified of something going wrong that he can’t get anything right. It turns out that Guy Olivieri, who makes a hilarious Neddie, also went to UNC-Chapel Hill. Small world! I love little discoveries like that.

If you enjoy it, please click the “Like” button on YouTube, and leave a comment there if so inclined. Feel free to leave a comment here as well! And by all means, share the link with your friends. Thanks! :-)

Disengaged Dozen Update

Andrew Sellon — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:32:58 +0000

I’ve just learned that Episode 2 of the web series The Disengaged Dozen (in which I appear as the plucky Benny the Boss) should be on YouTube and elsewhere starting Tuesday, July 6th. Stay tuned for the saga of Nervous Neddie…! The remaining four episodes are now scheduled to be posted every two weeks, on Tuesdays.

The Smurfs Movie: It’s a Wrap!

Andrew Sellon — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:29:01 +0000

Last Wednesday, I returned from the gym to find a small FedEx envelope. Inside was a small manilla envelope with an address label proclaiming The Smurfs Movie. I opened the envelope to find a lovely invitation announcing “Smurfs – From Belgium to the Bowery – It’s a Wrap!” So on Saturday night, after seeing The Screwtape Letters, Tim and I headed down to the elegantly retro Bowery Hotel and stopped into the wrap party. There was a veritable sea of people there, lots of good food, and lively music. I chatted briefly with Raja Gosnell, the director, and thanked him again. He said he’s very pleased with our Russian Tea Room scene, so I have my fingers crossed that it will make the final cut. I asked him if he was gearing up for a few months of editing now, and after a moment of thought, he said with an anticipatory smile, “A year!” Whew! I told him I hope he has a lot of fun with the process of adding in the animated Smurfs. I also ran into Vincent Schicchi and his lovely wife. Vinnie was key makeup artist for the film. He kept me looking good for the whole 12 1/2 hour shoot day. I was sorry to miss seeing Hank Azaria, Sofia Vergara, and Tim Gunn again, not to mention 1st AD Benita Allen and 2nd AD Peter Thorell; I had a great time working with them all and would love to have had a chance to tell them. I would particularly have liked to touch base with Tim Gunn again about chandelier fashion, as he is a delightful conversationalist, but perhaps another time!

The Screwtape Letters

Andrew Sellon — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:03:55 +0000

Saturday night, Tim and I went to see my buddy Steve Hauck take on the title role in The Screwtape Letters at the Westside Arts Theatre, Off Broadway. Steve is standby for star/adaptor Max McLean, and happily knew in advance that both he and his fellow standby, Elise Girardin, would be going on for both shows Saturday. As expected Steve made a wonderful Screwtape, and Ms. Girardin also aquitted herself elegantly as the wordless but expressive Toadpipe. Tim and I were both familiar with the original C.S. Lewis work, so it was interesting seeing it adapted for the stage–always tricky for a work in epistolary format. It was a handsome production, and Steve was delightful. Well done! Steve played Estragon to my Vladimir in Vermont Stage Company’s production of Waiting for Godot, and we had a fantastic time. Here’s hoping we get to play together onstage again sometime soon. In the meantime, keep an eye out for Steve!

The Disengaged Dozen Episode 1 is on YouTube!

Andrew Sellon — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 22:35:02 +0000

Fuzzy Purpose Finds Her Way

The first of the six zany web commercials I shot recently for the very creative folks at Bernard Hodes Group has just been posted on YouTube. Think 50’s sitcom on helium. They were a lot of fun to film, and everyone involved was incredibly nice as well as talented. I’ve seen the final version of all six spots, and they’re a hoot. Congrats to writer/director/editor Dewey Moss for a great job. The remaining five ads will be posted one every two weeks; I’ll add links as they appear. Each spot features me as Benny the Boss encountering a different archetypal ”problem” employee and figuring out how to engage him or her on the job, to everyone’s benefit. Click the image on the right to see the video. If you enjoy it, please click “Like” on YouTube and share the link with your friends. Thanks!

Smurfs Movie Scene Completed!

Andrew Sellon — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 16:32:46 +0000

On Tuesday, June 1st, I was at the Russian Tea Room in Manhattan filming my “day principal” scene as a waiter who runs into the rude villain Gargamel in the upcoming Smurfs 3D movie, due out in August of 2011. Director Raja Gosnell gave me a warm welcome while I was in the makeup trailer. He couldn’t have been nicer, and his easygoing but clear guidance set the tone for the whole set. He knew what he wanted, but was very open to spontaneous creativity as well. My scene was with Hank Azaria, Sofia Vergara, and Tim Gunn, all of whom were very nice, and all of whom are very funny in the movie. First AD Benita Allen was on top of every little detail, and kept things running like clockwork. Watching her work with the crew on the specs, and with all the extras on believability and logic for every little background action, was really impressive. Second AD Peter Thorell was very helpful prior to the shoot, reaching out with info about the shoot and making sure I didn’t have any questions. My thanks also to Mike and Mary, who shuttled us back and forth to our trailers all day with unflagging good will, to Cheryl, Denise, Ben, and all the other costume folks, to Vinnie for makeup, and Angel for hair, my stand-in, John, and all the other members of the team and crew (including craft services), who worked cheerfully and tirelessly to keep us all percolating. I also enjoyed chatting with Laurent Mullen and a number of the other actors playing the other waiters and customers. What a lovely bunch of people. I can’t say enough good things about the shoot because everyone, cast and crew, had such a great attitude. A few of the takes reminded me of the old rule about working with children and animals. The cats alternating in the role of Azrael were definitely frisky during the shoot! Hank Azaria was hilarous improvising around their “cattitude.” We had a lot of laughs, and despite the complexity of the scene, it was suprising how quickly the hours flew by. A great day. Thanks again to Casting Director Richard Hicks, and my agent, Reneé Glicker of About Artists. And my extra-special thanks to my partner Tim, who insisted on getting up well before the crack of dawn with me, even though it was a work day for him, too. Not only did he drive me to the train station, he waited with me on the platform to see me off for my first major studio shoot. I felt like a kid going to his first day of school. And he was there to pick me up when I got off the train, exhausted, at the end of it all. I’m a lucky guy all around. Thanks, everybody.

6 Webisode Ads

Andrew Sellon — Sat, 01 May 2010 01:40:48 +0000

Around 4:30pm this afternoon, I auditioned for a role in a series of six very funny little “webisode” ads. The tone is delightfully tongue in cheek, and it turns out the clever scripts were written by Dewey Moss, the Creative Director doing the casting for the Bernard Hodes Group. About a half an hour later, my agent’s office called to tell me I landed the gig! I wish all auditions could work like that. I don’t know if these clips will be publicly viewable or not, but I’ll post any updates and links here after they’re done. We’re shooting all six on Friday, May 7th–it should be a blast!