She was set to be a supporting character in the last midseason show to premiere on ABC…but sometimes things don’t happen the way you think.
This isn’t a story about racism; it’s a story about Hollywood. Most actors–even that small group that can truly call themselves ‘working actors’–can wait year to get a part on a TV pilot. And only a very few of those pilots ever make it on the air. And even then–even then–the actors that have been with the project all along may not make it all the way.
That’s what happened with Rebecca Delgado Smith, a very funny, very smart young Latina comedian who has been part of the Harvard Sailing Team improv group–live and on-line, in New York and in L.A.–for years. She and her husband Chris Smith (who’s also a member of HST) even have a performance set of their own as “The New York Smiths.” So the new ABC show with Sarah Chalke from Scrubs was the obvious next step, and pretty big.
So near, and yet…so far.
Last year, Rebecca talked a bit about the near-miss. First, she said, the audition experience itself–often pretty horrific, even for veterans–was remarkably pleasant. “I had heard horror stories about the testing process,” she said, “but the team behind the pilot was very supportive. They were all warm and very interested in what I had to bring to the character. Plus, I got to read with Sarah Chalke during my test, who is one of the nicest people out there.” And when the bad news came down, she said she was “sad, but felt very at peace. It’s part of the process, and if I could go back and do it all over again, I wouldn’t do anything differently. When it comes to ‘the business’ I try to focus on the things that I actually have control over, like my preparation, getting enough sleep, my outfit–seriously, think about your outfits–and I don’t worry about the other variables.” You can read the entire Q&A here, on backstage.com.
So she continues with the improv groups and the YouTube channels, keeps working the pilot season and keeping herself positive…and ABC has one less show with a Latina character in the mix.
The pilot with her one-time-only appearance aired Wednesday April 3 at 9:30P on ABC in a good spot: right after a new episode of Modern Family, one of the net’s most popular shows. And meanwhile, here’s Rebecca Delgado Smith in her very own self in her most recent installment of “Rebecca Brings You the Sports,” this one about March Madness:
