They paid him to wait

I did a mini-series in Boston and Newport RI in the 80's called "The Fitzgerald's and the Kennedys" (aka "The Kennedys of Massachusetts") in which the prolific character actor, Charles Durning played John 'Honey Fitz' Fitzgerald, The Mayor of Boston and the father of Rose Kennedy (Annette O'Toole) and maternal grandfather of President John F. Kennedy (Steven Weber).
Charlie and I got in the habit of taking a walk after work and grabbing a bite to eat at one or two of the fine eateries in Newport near where we shot a good part of the movie. Charlie had a reputation for a rather expanding waist line and after watching him regularly consume two entries, I understood why.
But story telling was also one of his favorite pastimes. (I later heard that this little piece of advice was not an original one, but still worth heeding). We were sharing our frustration over an actress who earlier in the day had had a tantrum over some costume issues and refused to come out of her trailer until it was resolved. Then there was something she didn't like about her hair style and caused us another delay. Then something else.
I asked Charlie how he handled such antics, to which he replied:
I learned many years ago, that in this business they pay me to wait;
the acting is for free"!
- I have shared that story many times whenever there was any kind of production delay!
What a great actor...……
What a great actor...… Another one gone but his works remain for us to enjoy!
Here's a snippet