Continuing our interview with Mike Cabellon, star of Tina Fey’s new NBC sitcom Mr. Mayor, we want to share what a day in the life of a series regular looks like.
Cash: When did you start filming for this series?
Mike: We started filming at the beginning of this year. Filming paused, due to Covid, and is scheduled to resume in November of this year. There are a lot of Covid protocols in place, so I feel that it will be relatively safe to be back on set.
Cash: Have the scripts changed at all due to Covid?
Mike: They have. The writers took time to adjust the scripts for sensitivity, and also add in some current public issues.
Cash: What is it like to be a series regular?
Mike: Before this, I only worked on short-term jobs — day players or co-star roles. This is my first job where I am working 5 days a week, all day, every day.
Cash: How much rehearsal is there before you film?
Mike: TV moves so fast, it’s hard to find time to really dig into the character. On our show, we had one overall rehearsal before we filmed the pilot — just to dig into the characters and play with each other. After that, for each episode, we get the script, do a table read, and then shoot it. We usually just do the script on its feet. There are usually no rehearsals. We maybe get a take or two.
Cash: What is the production schedule like?
Mike: We shoot roughly one episode a week. We have block scheduling, so we shoot 2 episodes at a time, every 2 weeks.
Cash: What’s it like being on set with such famous actors?
Mike: Ted Danson is the nicest human being on earth. Tina and Robert are both on set, pitching us jokes and giving us direction. Tina is whip-smart. She’s a machine in terms of new jokes. She and Robert will just crank out new jokes so incredibly fast, on their feet.
Cash: How did you prepare for filming?
Mike: I shadowed my local councilmember, Mitch O’Farrell, 13th District. This is the biggest research that I’ve ever done for a role. I tried to work with government officials and nail down the specifics in that way. The character in a lot of ways is pretty close to myself — ambitious and a brown-noser. He’s someone who scratched and clawed his way to the top — I was able to draw on my own experiences making my way up as an actor.
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