My worst moment: Tony Shalhoub became Mr. Invisible at an audition

An Emmy-winner several times over, Tony Shalhoub has played distinctive, memorable characters throughout each decade of his screen career, from the ‘90s sitcom “Wings” to the title role in the early 2000s favorite “Monk” to, more recently, the patriarch on Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” He currently stars in the new movie “Flamin’ Hot,” as Roger Enrico, the CEO who oversaw the launch of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

“I liked the fact that he was all about wanting input from all of his employees and tapping into their resourcefulness,” said Shaloub. “In the corporate world, there tends to be an unspoken but very tightly-knit hierarchy built in. And he just had a different approach to the whole thing.” Is Shaloub a snack food guy? “I never say never. I try to be good and I try to eat healthier snacks, but every once in a while I’ll go nuts.”

Shalhoub’s credits also include numerous movie roles, from “Men in Black” to “Big Night” to “Spy Kids.”

When asked about a worst moment in his career, he joked: “How much time do you have?”

My worst moment ...

“I was in New York in the ‘80s and I was doing OK. I was primarily doing theater, but I had started doing some television. I was getting some traction and working pretty regularly. Didn’t have to do waiter jobs or things like that, I was able to keep my head above water. And I was starting to get some film auditions.

“I won’t get into names and specifics, but I got an audition for a very important movie and this was a very big deal for me. You’d go in and read for the casting director, and if you did well, you would come back and meet with the director. So this was the first round.

“I went into the casting woman’s office. It was someone I had read for once or twice before and I didn’t do well those previous times. But I thought: I’m going to really give it my best shot. I worked really hard to prepare. And I remember this so specifically because the audition was late in the day on a Friday, so this was kind of a push. I think the audition was at 4:30 in the afternoon. I lived in Brooklyn, so I had to schlep into Manhattan.

“Normally when you would go in, there’d be all these actors in the waiting room — and often you’d see the same bunch of guys going up for the same role — but there was no one there. I was like, where is everyone? Well, it’s late in the day, maybe I’m the last one.

“So I’m waiting. And I’m looking at my pages and trying to get in the zone. And no one’s coming out. A half-hour goes by. (Laughs) Then another half-hour goes by.

“I know they know I’m here because the receptionist met me when I came in. I know I’m not in the wrong place. Now I’ve been there for an hour and 15 minutes — and I don’t want them to get in my head. I don’t want my frustration to get in my head. And finally, someone comes out and directs me to the inner sanctum, which was the main casting director’s office.

“I go into her office. But she’s not in there. It’s empty. I’m like, what the hell? (Laughs)

“So I sit down at the chair facing her desk. And I wait some more. I don’t know what else to do. Why bring me in if they’re not ready?

“Finally she — who will remain nameless — comes in. I have my back to the door, and she walks past me and goes around to sit at her desk, but she doesn’t acknowledge my presence. She doesn’t say, ‘Sorry to keep you waiting.’ She doesn’t even say hello. Doesn’t say my name. I’m invisible.

“So she sits down and I’m getting ready to do my thing. And she swivels in her chair (laughs), turns to her telephone and makes a call. She doesn’t take a phone call, she makes a phone call. This is crazy, right?

“There’s a very strong possibility that this woman does not like me.

“I figured maybe she’s calling the producer in Italy or god knows what. No, it turns out, she’s making a social call! Oh, and this is why I remember it: It happened to be St. Patrick’s Day and she was talking to her friend saying, ‘Oh, I had a green bagel on my way to work.’ Small talk!

“I swear to god, I couldn’t make this up. And I remember it like it was yesterday because it’s seared into my brain.

“I’m going a little nuts inside at this point. And I can’t tell you the next part because it doesn’t belong in print. Let me just say that she started telling a very off-color joke. It wouldn’t be a joke I would broach in mixed company, let alone in front of a stranger. It was that bad.

“This goes on (laughs), she’s talking on the phone for another five or 10 minutes, whatever. I’m sitting there like an idiot. And I really wanted this job. I was prepared. I had been working on this thing all week. I wanted it to go well.

“So I sort of waved my hand to get her attention, and she deigned to look over at me, and I pointed to my watch like: “It’s late.” I pretended that I had other appointments, which of course I didn’t, but it was late in the day!

“Well, she ignored me and kept talking to her friend.

“So I just stood up and walked over to her desk and dropped my sides — the scene pages — on her desk and walked out. I just left. I’ve never done anything like that before or since, I’m not a brash or brave person. But I figured this was not gonna happen. I was never going to be called back to meet with the director. And she did not call after me as I was leaving.

“This is pre-cellphones, so I went down on the street and found the nearest pay phone. I called my agents — I was shocked they were still in the office because it’s 5:30 or quarter of six by this point — and I said: ‘Look, don’t send me in there ever again. I can’t go through that again.’ I was kind of shaken.

“And they asked ‘What happened?’ and I had to explain the whole thing, ugh.

“Here’s the coda to this story: The following Monday, my agent calls and says, ‘We got a call from the casting director who said you had a bad attitude and what was your problem?’”

This speaks to power dynamics in auditions. Actors will put up with a lot because they want the opportunity.

“I second-guessed myself a number of times since that audition. Like, did I come in with a chip on my shoulder? I don’t think I did, even though I was sitting in that stupid waiting room for an hour (laughs). At least come out and say, ‘You know what, we’re very busy and we’re backed up’ — something! Give me some common courtesy.

“Or how about saying hello when you enter the room? That’s only been the standard for centuries.

“And then she sits down and makes a personal call? It’s hostile! It can only be read as passive aggression. And maybe I present as a doormat. Maybe that’s the vibe I gave off.

“But I have a funny suspicion that if other actors read this, they will probably know who I’m talking about.”

The takeaway …

“There are moments where you have to be an advocate for yourself. I’m willing to eat a certain amount of crap (laughs) because that’s the nature of the business.

“But it was a lesson for me because I realized that I can draw a line and not be a complete pushover.

“It came at a cost. I didn’t need to tell my agents not to send me in there anymore because she wasn’t going to ask for me to audition for her anymore. And by the way, she was a big deal — a very well-respected, highly-touted casting director. She worked with the bigwigs and had been in the business a long time. She really knew her stuff. Maybe she just knew there was no way in hell I was right for the part.

“But then, why have me come in to audition in the first place? Did my agents call in a favor? Did they just annoy this person so much she wanted to shut them up? You never know! No one tells you these things. But any other project she worked on, I couldn’t go in for that job.

“That was the price. And it was something I decided I could live with.”