I was a TV Prostitute (Part 1): How I Became a Whore on the HBO Series Deadwood

Have you ever felt as though something in your life didn't really happen? I mean, you know that it happened, but it feels as though it was some sort of crazy dream? That's how I feel when I look back on the time I spent working as a prostitute in Deadwood.

That is, acting as a prostitute character on the HBO series Deadwood.

Yes, I was credited as a "Gem Whore" for the first nine episodes of this short-lived drama series. I look back on my experience with mixed feelings. It was hard work, but I wouldn't change it for anything. I met a lot of great people, but also had my back stabbed by several people. I don't keep in touch with anyone from the show anymore, although I did consider two of them good friends. It was an experience I will certainly never forget, although it came at a time in my life that I wish I could erase forever.

There is so much to tell about my time on Deadwood, I am going to have to create several different parts of my story. Some will be generalized experiences, such as this one, while others will be stories about my experiences with the wonderful (and not so wonderful) people I worked with and met on the show. I've got some terrific stories about the celebrities that I worked with, as well as the crew. I've also got lots and lots of gossip that was never told about the show and the people that worked on it-- And, trust me, it is ALL true.

But, I am getting ahead of myself. Let me start from the beginning...

I was registered with an extras casting company, Central Casting, in Los Angeles. I worked on several TV shows and films in 2001 and joined the Screen Actors Guild within 3 months, which was very rare. My work seemed to die off. My agent was Kristene Wallis of the Wallis Agency, and she got me maybe two auditions. I registered with Cameo Casting, which was a calling service that got me a few better jobs than Central did and a LOT more auditions than Kristene did.

I remember the phone call for Deadwood. I had listed on my resume that I knew how to ride horseback (which I do), and the first question asked was, "Do you really know how to ride a horse?" I verified that I did, and was told that my picture was being submitted to a new HBO western series to play a horseback riding prostitute. I thought it was pretty funny-- I had already played a tweaker on Malcolm in the Middle, fat cheerleader in Not Another Teen Movie, groupie on That 70s Show, drunk in Old School... Why not add a prostitute to my list of seedy characters? I was told that I would be called back if I was asked to come in for an audition.

The next day, I was called and told to go to the Melody Ranch in Santa Clarita the following day at 1:00pm, and be prepared to prove that I could ride a horse. I thanked them and hung up, then stared at the phone. Prove that I knew how to ride a horse?! YIKES!

Mind you, I knew how to ride a horse... I just hadn't ridden one in a few years.

I started calling stables to see if there was someone who would let me ride their horse for an hour or two. A friend of mine knew someone who owned a horse, and she agreed to let me ride for a little while for just $30. I booked it to the other side of Palmdale and rode a horse that was about 24 hands high. (That's a pretty big horse.) The horse was sweet and gentle, and everything came back to me immediately.

The next day, I headed on down to Santa Clarita for my audition. There were a couple of other girls there to audition, and I was the last one to ride. The first girl was an excellent rider, but had no personality. The second girl had a terrific personality, but clearly didn't know how to ride. She actually spooked the horse, and it took a few wranglers to calm it down and get her off. Then it was my horse. The chestnut horse was a beauty, but it was small-- only about 14 hands. I had ridden a MUCH bigger horse the day before, so I wasn't worried. They asked me if I wanted a stool to mount. Heck, I mounted Gigantour the day before with no stepstool, so I declined. I placed my left foot in the stirrup and hoisted myself up... And the horse bucked. Believe it or not, I wasn't thrown. I threw my leg over the other side of the horse and calmed it down myself. The people there actually clapped. Rock.

I rode the horse a little, then the Casting Director told me to flirt with her like a prostitute. Now, that was tricky. I was on top of a horse, fully dressed, and told to flirt. So, I leaned forward and winked, licked my lips, blew kisses and so forth. She actually said, "Come on, this is for HBO!" So, I flashed her. That's right, I flashed her. I was wearing a loose shirt, so I pulled down the front and exposed my bra. I said something crass, like "Two for the price of one!" She burst out laughing, thanked me and sent me on my merry way. I thought I nailed it, but I didn't hear anything back.

Weeks went by. My mom came in from New York for a visit, and we headed to Las Vegas for a couple of days. The audition for the HBO western was the last thing on my mind as I played the Marilyn Monroe nickel slots at Paris Las Vegas. then, my cell phone rang. I recognized the 310 number and bolted outside for better reception and a quieter atmosphere. I was told that I was cast as a Bella Union Whore and I had a fitting in the valley at 4:00 the next afternoon. I assured them that I would be there.

I ran inside, screaming like a lunatic. I mean, people thought I hit the jackpot, and started gathering around me to find out what was going on. I told my mom, and she just started hugging me. There we were in the casino, jumping around and hugging each other. We explained that I was cast on an HBO show to the onlookers. They were uninterested and went back to their gambling.

The next day, Mom and I booked it back to CA. She came with me to the fitting, but waited in the car. She actually dropped me off, then tooled around the valley with my friend Julie and her daughter, Desiree. I walked in at 3:45 and met my fellow ladies of the evening. This one girl had long, long hair right above her butt. I chatted her up right away. She and I became fast friends. This other girl resembled me, and a lot of people asked if we were sisters. We were the tallest of the bunch, and we started chatting. These two ladies became my closest friends on the show during the three months I spent on it.

The tall girl and I were called together to try on our costumes. It was this enormous warehouse with tons and tons of costumes. It was insane! When I gave them my name, I was told that I was at the wrong fitting. I insisted that I was told to come at this time, and they got the Casting Director on the phone. Lo and behold, I was telling the truth. It turned out that I wasn't a Bella Union Whore after all. Oh, no... I was a Gem Whore. I didn't even know what that was. I was made to wait until all of the Bella Union Whores were fitted in their gorgeous costumes.

You can imagine my dismay when I was fitted in a pair of dingy long-johns. But, I'm a trooper. I was thrilled to be on the show, so I was thrilled with my costume. I even had the wardrobe chick snap a photo for me. After thinking about it, I was happy to have loose-fitting long-johns than the bulky, corseted dresses that the other girls had -- especially since we were filming in a place without any airconditioning in the middle of summer.

So, I was set. I made two friends, had my costume, knew my character and was ready to start my life in Deadwood.