It was a small guest appearance, but Emily Shaffer’s role in last night’s episode of “Covert Affairs” was a key one.

After all, if her character hadn’t slipped and fallen while boating off the African coast of Eritrea, then Auggie and Parker wouldn’t have summoned for help and subsequently been kidnapped by Somali pirates.

The plot played out to be exciting and kept primetime USA viewers on the edges of their seats.

The filming itself was a very laidback and most enjoyable experience, said Shaffer, a 2004 graduate of RCB High School.

She auditioned for the LA-based show long-distance from New York City, where she now lives. She was a little surprised that she nabbed the role because it’s always better to audition in person, she said. Getting this particular acting job even came with a bonus perk.

“The casting director really liked me and she knew it was a small part, but also knew that the job came with a week and a half-long vacation in Puerto Rico,” Shaffer said. “I loved it. It was very hot and humid, but all the people were wonderful. They put us up in a lovely gigantic resort that was absolutely beautiful. It was a wonderful escape from New York City.”

Her audition tape was received on a mid-week April afternoon and she was notified on a Saturday night that the part was hers. Two weeks later, she was on a plane for the May shooting in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Shaffer was on the set for about four days. In addition to her scene – boating on “The Red Sea” – she was on standby for potential script and shoot schedule changes.

“There’s really no rhyme or reason to what they shoot and when,” she said. “A lot of it has to do with the weather – or which streets they are allowed to go on that day.”

It was the weather that delayed filming of her scene.

“We had torrential rains the day we were supposed to shoot and it turned the crystal blue waters to brown,” Shaffer said. “So we had to move on to other things and wait a couple of days.”

When the time came to do the boat scene, Shaffer and her fellow actors – including show co-lead Christopher Gorham – had gotten to know each other pretty well.

“We spent the week together, so we were legitimate friends,” Shaffer said.

There was a good bit of dialog that didn’t make the edits.

“We had some fun lines while partying on the boat,” she said. “The primary point to be made was showing a group of friends having a good time together. I guess we did too good a job having a good time together, so I guess we didn’t need the extra words.”

Shaffer said the level of professionalism associated with the show was top-notch and the entire cast and crew couldn’t have been nicer.
 

“It’s always a little daunting to be the low man on the totem pole and have the smallest part, but they didn’t treat me like that at all,” she said.

There was plenty of conversation with Gorham (August “Auggie” Anderson), talk including his unique acting challenge – portraying a CIA military intelligence officer, who is blind.

“We talked about that, mostly in terms of technically how he pulls that off and makes it look good,” Shaffer said. “He’s worked on it a while now, so he’s used to it and it comes second nature to him. But I remember him saying that, as an actor, the most important thing to do is listen – really, really listen. He can’t rely on his eyes and has to sort of focus straight out and a little bit down so he doesn’t accidentally make eye contact. So he has to heighten the rest of his senses.”

Filming and shop talk aside, there was plenty of downtime and Shaffer said she spent much of that with her sister Hannah, a 2011 RCB graduate, who flew on out to Puerto Rico.

Shaffer was pretty impressed with “Covert Affairs,” which has also filmed recently in Madrid, Morocco and the Middle East, among other worldly locations.

Getting a taste of drama was great, but Shaffer is also pursuing comedy roles.

She is adamant about finding a successful career in the entertainment industry.

“My first success will probably be TV, then I’ll move on to film, then probably do theater from time to time, since that was my first love,” she said.

Including the recording of audio books, Shaffer pursues her career on a full-time basis. Support from back home plays a major role in everything she does.

“It’s so nice to know about the love back home and to know everyone has my back,” she said. “I want bigger and better all the time, but it’s nice to have a reminder that I am having success, even when it’s not exactly what I wanted. That love and support keeps me going.”

To watch past episodes of “Covert Affairs,” visit
http://www.usanetwork.com/videos/Covert%20Affairs/Full%20Episodes

To read yesterday’s story on Shaffer, click here: http://www.connect-bridgeport.com/connect.cfm?func=view§ion=News&item=Clarksburgs-Emily-Shaffer-To-Appear-on-Tonights-Episode-of-Covert-Affairs915