I've reached a point in my career when I can demand certain conditions, and one of them is a weekend break every three weeks during the shoot.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Whenever you have a tight schedule, you sort of have to film whatever you can that day.
Sometimes you shoot for 40 or 50 hours for a one-hour show, and you have to make some very hard choices.
When I'm working, I look forward to weekends. Film sets give your time a structure; otherwise, one day can run into another. I often find myself in unusual locations, so Friday nights I might head out with some of the cast and crew to explore the town.
Very often my weekends are spent performing on Saturday, on stage in the afternoon and again in the evening.
After film school, I embarked on trying to promote independent films. But after a while, I realized I was breaking my back doing six-day-a-week shoots, 14-hour days, and no guarantee of distribution.
During the shoot, when you're not at work, you're learning lines for the next shoot, and that can be all-consuming.
I've worked nonstop for 31 years. I've counted down myself hundreds of cues for everything in each 90-minute show. I've never really taken an extended break, so I'd like to see what a vacation is really like.
Sometimes you're in great demand. Then suddenly your career hits the breaks.
Weekends are a real luxury for me because I'm usually working.
I've never seen a schedule where you just go in two hours almost every day of the week and then all day on one day. Then you shoot it at night with an audience and you're out of there.