Todd Gilbert, of Halfmoon, has been on all three seasons of HBO's "The Gilded Age" so far. It was his first professional gig after a tenure consisting of school plays and church productions. The father of five works full-time in marketing, picking up acting opportunities on the side.
“I like to make a fool of myself and make people laugh,” he said. After seeing an open call for extras when the show’s first season was filming, Gilbert appeared in the background of a handful of episodes. In season two, he appeared just once but secured a seat as the mayor of New York for a scene depicting the opening of The Brooklyn Bridge.
“It's fun. It's really exciting and it's a chance to step out of the everyday norm and do something different,” Gilbert said. “For me, it was a bucket list item.
” Even with non-speaking parts, Gilbert works 13- to 14-hour days. “So the feet definitely hurt at the end of the day,” he said with a laugh. Gilbert wasn’t the only member of his family to book a role on the show.
His dog, Walker, appeared in a scene. Gilbert guided the actor assigned to walk the dog. “I just love the costumes and the period drama and the people,” said Gilbert.
“Getting to meet all the new people and talk to them, become friends with them, that's awesome...
last season, I got to work really close with the principal actors, which was nice.” Additionally, other experts join the crew from across the country. Wendi Freedman, of New Jersey, works as the show’.