Acting, Ambulances, and Sam Levinson
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
A one-line role on Euphoria turns into a lesson in trusting the work. After weeks of waiting, an early call time, and a note from Sam Levinson to do “less,” an actor discovers that sometimes the best performance comes from simply listening and being present.
Before Sunrise and Coffee
September 5, 2026, 4:40am.
It's still dark outside.
Apparently, I trained my body to wake up before the alarm clock. Or maybe I scared the beejezus out of myself the night before.
Paco is still sleeping on the edge of the bed so I gingerly swing my legs over. I shower and get dressed, feed Paco and hug him several times (yes, he does let me pick him up, begrudgingly).
By 5:30, I am on the highway. There is no traffic and I get to the designated address twenty minutes early. Whew.
After checking in, I am led to my cubicle and asked if I want breakfast. Five minutes later an omelette and toast arrive and I have just enough time to scarf it down before I have to go for hair and makeup.
The red-haired woman assigned to me does a great job of making me look natural (why didn't I write her name down?).
A Real Surgery Center and a Fake Nurse
I go back to my trailer and suit up into my scrubs.
I'm just about to start reading when I get a knock on the door.
Time to go.
In the van I meet two girls I will be on set with, who in the storyline, have had plastic surgery: Annemarie Harris and Anna Van Patten. They're both warm and friendly.
We arrive at the real life surgery center and I am directed to sit behind the glass pane at the entrance.
I play the clinic nurse who tells Mitch (played by Daerg Faerch) to follow me to where the girls are in the recovery room.
I look around the small office. Behind me are floor-to-ceiling shelves of patient files. Just outside and down the hall are the examining rooms where the girls are recovering behind closed doors.
Surgeries do happen here.
The first assistant director comes in and says,
"You're shuffling papers and then you give your line."
There are a few file folders and real life patient orders underneath. I get to work, looking busy.
The crew is putting the finishing touches on the set when I hear:
"Roll sound!"
"Action!"
Mitch arrives at the window.
I say my line.
"Cut!"
Sam Levinson and an Acting Lesson I'll Never Forget
Moments later, Sam Levinson, the director steps onto the set.
Uh oh.
This must mean I screwed up.
He looks at me and smiles.
"Just do the same thing, only less."
Something about the way he says it calms me down.
I realize I've been so busy thinking about acting that I forget I don't have to do anything. I just need to be in the moment.
I nod.
He turns around and walks out.
The first A.D. calls out the same words as before.
Mitch comes in.
I say my line.
I get up and leave frame.
Fifteen seconds later I hear,
"Moving on!"
I have a huge grin on my face.
I've done it.
I've held my own in a small scene that furthers the action.
It turns out I can act and chew gum at the same time.
The rest of the day is a breeze. There are reverse-angle shots, more gurney pushing, and eventually lunch at two.
One more set up and I am released at 5:15pm.
I get in my car and immediately encounter the usual Los Angeles parking disguised as a freeway.
More than twelve hours from alarm clock to front door for one line.
I'd do it again tomorrow.
