"I personally have felt the bite of having no name. In my time, I have played 'Ranger Bob,' 'Ringmaster Bob,' 'Dr. Bob,' 'Father Jon' and 'Father Joe.' For the TV movie 'Last Flight Out,' my name was 'Tim' in the first half of the script and 'Jim' in the last half. One of our stars was Richard Crenna, the funniest man who ever lived; he would always call me 'Tim Jim' with a straight face during our scenes and in serious discussions with the director. No one noticed." -Awl contributor Stephen Tobolowsky illuminates the plight of the character actor in the New York Times.

Are you a subscriber to The Tobolowsky Files? The podcast, a project of actor Stephen Tobolowsky-the youngs will know him as Sandy Ryerson on "Glee" and from "Heroes" and the olds will know him from films as diverse as Groundhog Day, Thelma and Louise and Basic Instinct-with David Chen at Slashfilm, just put out its 38th episode. Writing here, he previously discussed Memento and the thrill of trying out for characters named "Masochistic Gay Man"-today he writes about the adventures of time and the waiting room.

I got an audition with one day's notice for "Californication," a comedy on Showtime staring David Duchovny. There was no [...]

Are you a subscriber to The Tobolowsky Files? The podcast, a project of actor Stephen Tobolowsky-the youngs will know him as Sandy Ryerson on "Glee" and from "Heroes" and the olds will know him from films as diverse as Groundhog Day, Thelma and Louise and Basic Instinct-with David Chen at Slashfilm, just put out its 38th episode. Here he writes about auditions, Memento and the thrill of trying out for characters named "Masochistic Gay Man."

Of all the gates that stand before actors, one of the most daunting is the audition. I imagine because it is the grand meeting of everything and nothing. Hopes, dreams, expectations [...]