Recently, I was asked to play a homeless man in a promo for the upcoming season of The Bone Collector on Outdoor Channel. I enthusiastically agreed to the role, not just because I needed the money, but mostly to work again with the director and the show's three stars, four of the most talented and generous people I've ever met.
With their usual insistence on realism, the production company had the ubiquitous homeless person's shopping cart prepared for me, and I was appropriately attired, dirty, bedraggled and unshaven. My very real head cold only added to the effect. In my artificially dirty hands, I held a hand-lettered cardboard sign that read 'Hungry. Please Help.'
In the promo, the three stars of show--Michael Waddell, Nick Mundt and Michael Waddell--are riding down a bleak, inner city street in their commanding, black pickup truck when they see the homeless man on the side of the road and quickly devise a plan to help. Coming to a halt, the pickup truck completely obscures the homeless man. After a couple of seconds, the truck pulls away, revealing the homeless man now in full hunting camouflage with a state-of-the-art crossbow, binoculars, backpack, hunting boots and logo cap. At first, he is surprised and amazed at his transformation. Then, he sees a pigeon and, extracting an arrow from its quiver, goes into a stalking posture. As the truck drives away, the show's logo in its rear window, a voice-who happens to be that of the homeless man--says to watch the premiere of season two of the program.
This edit was felt to be somewhat confusing. Although people in the industry know that I am an on-camera speaking actor, my Bone Collector announcer voice seemed out of place when I was portraying a homeless man. The final edit appears elsewhere on this site.
Like most video shoots, the commercial, a not-so-obscure retelling of the 'teach a man to fish' parable, has its own behind-the-scenes story. As we were preparing to shoot one of the scenes, a real homeless man with a cart came down the street. At that moment, I was essentially by myself on the sidewalk, sitting on a plastic bucket, holding my cardboard sign, with my shopping cart next to me. The rest of the crew and actors were some distance from me in the street. At first, the man who--if it were not for his tattered clothing and disheveled appearance--could have been Santa Claus, walked past me. Then, he turned back and asked, "Are you hungry. Do you have anything to eat?" I answered that I was okay, but he was persistent. "If you're hungry, I have some food. I'll share it with you." When I again assured him that I was okay, he said, "You need to get out of this town. The people here don't care anything about homeless and hungry people." Then he turned and walked on, rounded a corner and disappeared.
The camera was rolling for the whole scene as the actors and crew looked on, although no audio was being recorded. Nevertheless, the message from this real life scene is indelibly recorded in my mind.
At a time when so many of us are struggling just to make ends meet, it is a homeless man who offers me sustenance. Sometimes, the face of the divine is more readily seen on the sidewalk than in a sanctuary. If there is a heaven, surely, that homeless man will have his reward. As for the rest of us...
"...whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
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T/C Triumph Bone Collector Commercialby ParanormalLioness4,097 views
nice
noobsaibot125 9 months ago
great video
VarmintHunters 1 year ago
give a man a fish, he will eat for a day, teach a man to hunt and he will eat for a lifetime
kirksvillemale 1 year ago