In October of last year, I worked on a movie which was code-named Boise. This movie carries a very important distinction in my career history: it’s the first lead I’ve had in ages, and it’s the first movie I’ve done since deciding to focus more on writing and my family than acting and the hollow pursuit of fame. It was very strange, but not unwelcome, when I dug my actor pants out from under the bed and put them back on. Initially, they weren’t very comfortable, but they did feel familiar, and when I got used to them again, I decided that I’d never be able to fully take them off — I feel incredibly naked without them.
Wow. That was an extended metaphor from hell.
Anyway, I was really happy with the work I did. My satisfaction on the set, was matched by the joy and satisfaction I took in writing about my experiences on the set each day. Everyone who reads this lame website has been so supportive, and ridden the violent ups and downs with me for so long . . . I felt like something good had finally happened, and I really enjoyed sharing those experiences with you. (If you want to relive it, follow that link, and click the >> to get to the next day’s entry.)
Tomorrow night, the movie will air on the PAX network, and we get to see if the work I did on the set translates to the screen.
Before one of my projects is released, I’m always apprehensive — I feel unsure about how the music is going to play, how the director cut the scenes together, things like that. I also feel apprehensive about my performance. Will the audience see what I intended? Will I get caught “acting?” I don’t feel all that apprehensive about this project, which is surprising and rewarding. I feel very confident in the work I did on the day. I’m sure I’ll find things in my performance that I don’t like, and I bet many of the things I find will be found only by me. Some people say that I’m ripping myself off when I do that, but if I don’t look for those flaws, I never improve.
My gut feeling on this film is that it’s going to be pretty good. It’s not going to be spectacular –there’s some badly written courtroom drama in the middle, where I think it really slows down — but I think audiences will enjoy it.
They’re calling it The Book of Days. Check your local listings for details.
192 thoughts on “The Book of Days”
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Hey Wil! The movie was pretty good and you did an awesome job. I didn’t expect too much from PAX but hey, with the right actors anything is possible 😉 I hope this leads to bigger and better things. You certainly deserve it.
So, just finished watching the movie…um, not bad, Wil.
On a side note, I kept waiting for Maureen to put her index fingers together and freeze time like her character could do on that cheesy 80’s sitcom “Out of this World”.
Wil – “The Book of Days” was excellent. I hope it leads to other acting opportunities for you. As a long-time Asimov fan, I’m hoping you get reconsidered for the “I, Robot” role because of the timely release of this movie.
Ken
The movie really hit home. My younger brother died a year ago (heart condition), right before his 16th birthday. I definately felt that he deserved a longer life, so the Nun’s words were really comforting. I hope my dad saw this; he’s a sucker for this kind of drama. Congratulations on the fit of your pants Wil.
-Steven
Wil, the scene where Maureen asks you “They took your ring?” and then you break down was truly moving. You should be proud.
Wil, Good job on the movie. It was a good flick.
Now the question I have is, “Was I the only one that noticed the ObeyGiant tshirt you were wearing in the scene in Danny’s apartment right after the funeral?” I know it was supposed to be a moving scene, but I saw that shirt and just hadda laugh.
A good watch nonetheless! Congrats. I, too, would like to see you in more movie roles. 😀
Kia Ora!
–Ian…
PRE-EMPTED!!!!!!
PAX aired Grizzlies basketball instead of “Book of Days”.
Cable in Arkansas sucks.
I’m sure you were wonderful, Wil! I’ll have TiVo find it next time it comes on.
You were fantastic! I really enjoyed the movie 🙂
Way to go Wil!
I was surprised by you in the movie. It was very good and I didn’t see a bit of Wesley. You have really grown and matured as an actor – I hadn’t realized.
I kept expecting the traveler to show up. 😉
Other than it being obvious it was a made-for-pax movie, it was good. Mostly because Wil was in it. Only for Wil would I skip watching “John Doe”.
Good job, Wil. Hope you get more gigs soon.
Damn! I had a problem at work and had to stay late. Of course I didn’t have the forethought to set the vcr. Does anyone know if the movie will be re-broadcast? PAX is always showing reruns, you’d think they would show this movie a couple of times, ala TNT.
From the site, it doesn’t look like the movie is on again this month.
Hey, Wil!
Congrats on the movie. I really enjoyed it, and so did my husband (he’s not a big fan, but he thought you did very well)!! The two best scenes you had, in my opinion, were when Danny and Caroline were driving away after the wedding, and the expression on Danny’s face right before the accident was awe-inspiring, and also, when Frankie admitted her feelings for Danny in front of his mother…that was SO convincing! You did such a great job, Wil. Thanks for giving us a truly entertaining and interesting performance.
First things first, you and Maureen did an incredible job on the movie. Your friendship really showed in the way you two interacted with each other. Second, I think Richard Grieco is still mad at you for ‘stealing his girl’ in “It Was Him or Us”. HAHAHA!! I know, that was bad.
Like you mentioned, the courtroom scene left much to be desired. Personally, I would have liked to have seen more in the beginning about Caroline. It gave me the same feeling I always got when someone passed away on me (Nursing has advantages as well as disadvantages.). I felt empty and dispondent because I didn’t know them. I didn’t know Caroline, so I had that same feeling. I know, it sounds crazy… Maybe if the movie developed Caroline even a small bit more, I would be balling my eyes out on the couch.
Disappointments aside, I’d give it 3 1/2 out of 5 stars overall. You and Maureen deserve 5 out of 5 stars.
Good to see you in the spotlight again! 🙂
Yeah, I saw it.
Channel surfing last night and saw TVsWW on PAX (who watches that channel… like EVER?). So, I checked it out for about 30 minutes (came in when the insurance guy (David?) got his book in the mail).
The Book of Days!
Or something.
First thing I want to know is…
When’s my day?
What does it say under “Spudnuts?” You could also find me under my real name, but there are only a few fucking million of those. How about Chinese people… is there a different book for them? Is there a Pet Book of Days? When is Raymond going to die? Or Jared?
I’m really curious about those two.
You know what I liked about the Book of Days? When they did a close-up on the date, you could see that it was printed by a very cheap inkjet printer. Like if Jonah the Holy Delivery Dude were to leave the Book in the rain, all of the dates would run and he’d have to make a last minute trip to Kinko’s.
Kinko’s Guy: “What’s this?”
Delivery Dude: “The Book of Days. Listen, don’t ask questions, just print the fucker.”
I mean… how come God doesn’t have his own laser printer? They’re cheap! Somebody (the Catholics, let’s say) ought to pitch the fuck in and buy God his very own laser printer. The Pope could go on Fatwallet and find God a really sweet deal on a laser printer. Free shipping too. Shit, I’d do it myself this afternoon except: A) I don’t believe in God, B) I wanna play Xbox instead.
So, fuck God.
Get your own printer.
Bitch.
Anyway…
TVsWW did not embarass himself.
I repeat…
TVsWW did NOT embarass himself.
I mean the whole thing was your standard PAX pseudo-Christian morality tale. Which creeps me out. And the episode itself was one of those Twilight Zone retreads that Hollywood seems to love reincarnating in every show they put out regardless of genre. But having said that… TVsWW was better than okay.
He was rusty, but overall much better than the last time I saw him (Trek). Let’s call him… um… Mychal Thompson circa 1987. He’s maybe lost a step, but with a little conditioning he can be an effective member of a championship team. No Kareem, but he’ll get his points when it counts.
PAX? D-
Book of Days? C
TVsWW? B
Just got finished reading the comments…
Wait.
Richard Grieco was in this?
Shit.
I shoulda watched the whole thing.
Well, crap! My f’ed up VCR didn’t work right and now I’ve missed it. do you know if they’re planning to rebroadcast it?
I emailed PAX with the same question. Of course getting a response from them is about as likely as winning the lotery.
Ah well. If anybody taped it and is willing to make a copy for me, I’d appreciate it. Email me.
[email protected]
Peace,
Billman
Great job Will !
I watched it with the wife a second time this afternoon (Tivo) . She loved it as well.
Ok, I admit, I just got a chance to watch it tonight (had to record it).
*jaw drops* Holy cows dude! What an awesome movie! If I had had a thought to record it on a real tape that I could keep around, I woulda! Now I want a good professional recording of it!
*lifts her jaw up* Wow…great job man. It was good to see you in a movie again…and you did absolutely great it in. 🙂
*goes off to see if she can get it burned onto a dvd*
I have you programmed into my Tivo, and was happy to find Book of Days in the list of things to watch this afternoon as I tried to escape the Columbia tragedy. The movie premise looked intriguing, and you seemed to be doing a good job, but I’m sorry, when it became clear that it was a religious “why does god let bad things happen to good people” movie, I couldn’t stomach it and deleted it: religion has done far more harm than good over the centuries, and I just can’t watch something like this. I look forward to seeing you in your next endeavor…
Just chiming in here to say that I noticed the Obey the Giant t-shirt too and mentioned to my spouse that they let Wil choose from his own wardrobe.
I saw it and thought it was outstanding,
for the most paht. Agreed on the courtroom
sequence. A pleasure to watch something
good arise from tragedy without being
maudlin or predictable.
Nice work, man.
DH in snowy north-central VT
P.S. R.I.P., Columbia astronauts.
Outstanding job!! I used to watch Out of this World when I was littler, so it was neat to see you both in something again. You did wonderful and my husband and I both watched it. I personally could have done without all the religion crap, but was worth sitting through to see you in about every scene. I recalled in your journal from shooting that you said you had to cry alot, and I couldn’t help remembering that and giggling when you did.
Can’t wait for the book. Will you sell them on your website and offer autographed copies to your loyal Monkeys??
“meh”
Ooooooh! Slick Wil on da telly. 🙂
Twice in a Lifetime (episode is called “The Choice”) is on channel Ten here in the Sydney area. 🙂
I notice you in the ‘guest appearance’ credits for the show but it doesn’t show up in your IMDB credits on your ‘actor’ page. :/
Congrats to you, Wil. I’m not a PAX kind of girl and honestly would have never stopped channel surfing to catch anything on Channel 38 here in Chicago, but Friday night was an exception. Book of Days was certainly not my cup of tea, but I thought you did a great job with what was given to you. My favorite Wil moment? The very last scene of the film, between you and Maureen. Very real, very natural. Excellent work.
Maybe someday the industry will realize that Wil Wheaton has a posse that’s eager to see more of his work (be it on PAX or elsewhere)…
I’m usually just a lurker here, but wanted to write and say that I enjoyed Book of Days … though like many of your posse, I’m not a regular PAX viewer. Glad you tipped us off to the view date/time, since I certainly would have missed it otherwise. Thought you did a good job, and my husband was even willing to watch most of it with me.
Coming late to the party Wil, but congratulations! You did a fine job in the bit I saw (I forgot it was on and only caught the last 45 minutes or so). Like everyone else, I hope this opens the door to more roles.
Can I be honest though? I thought you were good, I thought the cast was good (even if Grieco looked awful), but I thought the movie itself was weak. The writing I mean, and just the whole concept of the film. I wanted to be more of an X-Files or Twilight Zone thing, but (being PAX) it was more of a heavy-handed relgious piece. I don’t mean to offend anyone here, but it just wasn’t my thing. I mean, if there is a God why would he/she/it do things like take a young pregnant woman’s life? Why are things like 9/11, the Bush (p)residency and the Columbia disaster allowed to happen? Again folks, I don’t mean to offend. It’s just the skepticism I’ve always held to. Perhaps I missed the point of the whole thing by tuning in late.
Still, you got to work Isaac Hayes! How cool is that? I had to listen to “Chocolate Salty Balls” afterward, just to even out all the churchy stuff. That was after I watched the first few minutes of Diagnosis Murder, out of hope it would be the episode you and other Trek folks were in, but that wasn’t the one they aired. Oh well… Good job, man. May this lead to bigger and better things.
I guess I’m in the minority here (I liked the Judeo-Christian values stuff). I wouldn’t have watched the movie if Wil wasn’t in it though. Have to say that he did a great job and he looked sharp. I REALLY want to see you get more work. Because of your site, a lot of us feel like we sort of know you. Kind of like a guy from the home-town making it big or something. So, great job Wil!
PS – Would everyone just stop acting so surprised that PAX had a movie about good wholesome subject matter that involved God. What did you expect? It’s not going to hurt you to watch a movie like that every now and then. I thought it was refreshing.
Wil,
Ok, so better late than never. I worked late on Friday, so I finished watching “Book of Days” this morning (Thank you TiVo!).
Love the “Obey” and “Kung Fu Records” shirts you were wearing…I’m a HUGE Vandals fan, so the Kung Fu one really made my day. Who’d have thought the Vandals would be on PAX?
The movie was very good. Yes, it was religious, but then again, it was on PAX. You did an amazing job – I really felt your pain in some of the scenes, and everyone did an incredible job. Someone else mentioned the “I love you Danny” scene of Maureen’s as being their favorite, and I have to agree – I’ve been there before!
Hope this leads to bigger and better things. Some of us miss seeing you.
i loved it if it came out on DVD i would buy it
Shaun – do you remember me saying that little phrase thousands of years ago – ‘Free Will’
I did not say it for my enjoyment.
Wil,
I MUST CONFESS.. I was watching “BOOK OF DAYS” & STAR TREK:THE NEXT GENERATION… (I was switching channels… back and forth because both programs came on at the SAME TIME!!!)
Truly, I became rather emotional when your life span was being cut short because of your kindness in saving others!! I didn’t believe that I would ACTUALLY CRY during some of the scenes!!
GREAT JOB…and you should be proud!!!
I like you wil, so ill just say, you had a movie on tv…thats cool. I thought u did alright, i was just watching it cuz it was muthFu**in uncle willie.
Good job on the movie, Wil. I liked it.
Hey, I know this is way late, but I just saw the movie tonight (we don’t get PAX so my mother-in-law taped it for us). You did some really nice work there. Really nice. You should be proud.
M
I really enjoyed your perforance in Book of Days and I thought that you’ve really grown as an actor since your stint on TNG. I also think it’s great that your willing to share some details about your personal life on your website. And lastly, thanks for all the laughs I’ve gotten reading your website
Pamela Reed es la mejor actriz que he visto en mi vida. L
I was flipping channels last night and came across “Book of Days” at the wedding sequence. It caught my eye since you were in it, like a long lost acquantaince on the television. I absolutely loved the movie! It really makes you think, and yet, it never really makes it that obvious because it had me hooked from the very beginning. Great work!
Wil,
I really enjoyed this movie, and have been thinking about it for weeks now. If it comes out on DVD, I will definitely buy it!
I’ve enjoyed following your career (lo these many years), and it is refreshing to see an actor take a role in a wholesome movie. Frankly, I wasn’t going to watch the movie because I thought it would be another faith-bashing work (like Arnie’s movie of the same title). I was pleasantly surprised ~ guess I should have had more faith in PAX! AND: I didn’t know you were in it. To be honest, when I learned you were playing the key character in the movie, that’s the only reason I decided to watch it. 🙂 I am certainly glad I did!
Keep up the fantastic work, Wil! I would enjoy seeing you in some more thought-provoking stuff that I can actually watch with my family. You have a great gift. Thanks for sharing it with the rest of us!
hey wil,
im 12 and i love you acting.but my tv doesnt have the channel PAX. I really hope it airs on another channel. If it does please e-mail me and tell me!
KayLa
What The?
Just watched BOOK OF DAYS today.
I rented it on DVD and was it worth it… Definitely!
Thanks Wil.. You acted real great in this movie. I hope to see you in more movies, plus in more Star Trek if that is possible someday.