Embed from Getty Images
Legend of stage and screen Mandy Patinkin is starring in a six-part series called The Artist that looks campy as all get out. And I mean that as a compliment! The cast is stacked — Janet McTeer, Hank Azaria, Danny Huston, Patti LuPone, Clark Gregg — so we’re talking camp in the hands of experts. It’s a historical fiction murder mystery set in the early 1900s and filmed at the Hill-Stead Museum in Connecticut. Hill-Stead was used as Mandy’s character’s stately home, a fitting choice as the museum specializes in Impressionist works and Danny Huston plays Edgar Degas. You would think a production with the budget for a grand filming location, A-list cast, and period costumes would have enough money for a coordinator to secure housing for everyone. Yet somehow, Mandy was left with the task of finding a place to stay for the two-month shoot. While appearing on the Today Show last month, Mandy set the scene for what kind of lodging he was looking for, and where that journey led him:

Patinkin explained that actors often have a long period wherein they’re not actively shooting scenes and can just relax while other filming takes place. During one of his films, Patinkin had quite a few days to spend by himself, so his first activity was to find a decent hotel that would accommodate his long stay. The man didn’t want anything fancy, just a cozy one-bedroom, one-bathroom kind of thing. He looked for Airbnb’s and other places, but they were either fully packed or only offered a 10-day stay at a stretch. After enquiring with a couple of people around, Patinkin was told there was a residence across the street.

Assuming it to be some kind of stay, he went in and met the staff. “They showed me this beautiful room, trees outside, fall colors, etc,” he revealed, adding that he was immediately interested. However, he realized something was off with the kind of questions the staff asked. Instead of asking about culinary preferences and budget, they had other inquiries. “She’s asking me about my diet, what I do, my family, and then she asked me, ‘Would you like a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)?’” Patinkin recalled. The actor was taken aback by the question. In all his years of experience, no hotel had such serious and concerning asks.

Finally, things became clear when the staff said, “this is an assisted living facility.” “Clearly, the way I feel is not the way I look to these people,” Patinkin joked, adding that the confusion pushed the management at the facility to wonder whether he wanted to be registered as a resident for good. But he still went ahead with staying at the facility for nearly two months. “I had a great room, the breakfasts were incredible,” he remarked. There seemed to be no issue with living with a couple of seniors, and Patinkin enjoyed the company. While it was a great frugal option, it also made for a pleasant stay, an experience he wouldn’t get in any fancy four walls of a hotel.

“So from now on, whenever I go traveling, the first thing I’m gonna ask — ‘Is there assisted living?’ because I love these people and I love being around these people and it’s Bingo on Wednesday!” Patinkin remarked.

[From Scoop]

If he didn’t know from his own viewing, I sure hope someone in Mandy’s life informed him that he just lived out an episode of Grace & Frankie. Remember in season one when Lily Tomlin’s Frankie thinks she’s interviewing to be an art teacher at an assisted living facility, only to find out she’s being interviewed as a prospective resident?! Makes me wonder if this happens more often than we think… In any case, I implore you to treat yourself and watch the clip of Mandy telling the story himself. He’s a seasoned entertainer — the man can tell a story! Plus it’s extra enjoyable with the consistent laugh track provided by host Craig Melvin, who was in stitches for nearly the whole segment. For me the clincher was Mandy’s superb delivery of the interview questions the facility asked him: “My diet, what I do, my family, and then she asks me ‘Would you like a DNR?’” Perfect. No notes. Though in all honesty, I can see a world in which hotels insist on DNR confirmation from guests at check in to cover their asses (the hotels’ asses, not the guests’). Anyway, now I have to figure out how to access The Network, a streaming app I’ve never heard of, because I really do want to watch The Artist. Six hours of laughter and Impressionist art sounds like a divine bit of escapism.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

photos credit: Getty