I'm three minutes into a rehearsal on the first day of my episode of The Vampire Diaries when I notice an actor is missing. I immediately know something is wrong. Rehearsals simply don't go on without actors, and this one in particular is never late, never unprepared. I stand quietly for a moment considering my next move. I'm the writer and on-set producer of this episode, so I know it's up to me to discreetly pull the director aside to carefully try and correct this mistake.