Pete Martin: Bending to fit new orders
He said he was going to be on NYPD Blue that night. The fact that he was up a ladder, paintbrush in hand, decorating our offices in mid-town Manhattan must have shown on my face. “Yeah?” I said. “Yeah. Watch tonight. I’m playing the doorman. It’s a good part.”
So I tuned in and, sure enough, there he was. His role was key to the plot and he even had a couple of lines. Next day I congratulated him on his performance. He explained that acting was his passion, but “painting pays the bills”. The day after, he even had an audition for a movie with director Spike Lee.
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Hide AdI’ve always remembered his matter-of-fact acceptance that, if you want an artistic life, you need another job. In this country, of course, there’s another option. You could always hope for a handout from Creative Scotland.