I’ve been as busy as bees since my last blog!! And waist-deep in casting processes…
Each audition is really an amazing and strange creature. You see some people who you think are perfect for a role, even the one you are auditioning for. Then most of the time you’ll watch that person leave with this costume of a smile on their face like it’s a pair of sunglasses they’re hiding their sorrow or feelings of failure behind, and you are left in awe of WHY weren’t they chosen?? Then there is the other end of it all, when you see someone go through the steps and you feel they would have been better off at a different audition for a role that would be more suited for them. And even then, there are times you watch that person somehow delight the casting directors and land the role. There really is NO telling in this town – One person’s vision here is dozens of people’s puzzle, and one’s success is truly dozens of people’s missed opportunity. Every actor owns at least one pair of those smiling sunglasses. They have to.

On a somewhat related note, this year is pretty significant – August 5th, 2012 marks the 50th year to pass since the death of a global icon, Marilyn Monroe. It’s awe-inspiring to me that a single human being can pass away and fifty years later, STILL grace the covers of magazines and be the subject of successful books, movies, merchandise… She was only alive for 36 years and she carved a permanent signature on the entire world, like her or not. For someone who so often thought very little of herself, it goes to show how far a dream can take you. It is also a graphic demonstration about the human condition and our need for love, acceptance, and approval. Mae West once said, “It is better to be looked over than to be over-looked.” Marilyn herself said, “It’s better for the whole world to know you, even as a sex star, than never to be known at all.” There are similar quotes to be found from just about every legendary star. One theory could just be that the main driving force behind their motivation is their lack of acceptance of themselves. I think for Marilyn, though, she made it a point to accept just about everyone, even the character she created which we’re all still staring at. I’m grateful for the latest surge in Marilyn publicity for several reasons, and one of those is that hopefully the world can inch closer to knowing, accepting and even loving the person she really was behind all of those batting eyelashes.
(Another reason is simply that the more attention classic Hollywood, the more hope I have that women will appreciate the value of carrying yourself with grace and class and stop arm-wrestling for “respect”… You can be deserving of that same respect simply when you act like a lady and embrace the true power of your femininity and womanhood. Though they do try, men will never be able to capture the certain beauty and softness of a woman, so why must we try to capture their physical strength or ability to be vulgar and gross-out their buddies?

Whether you’re a man or a woman, an actor or a cubicle-worker, take a moment to embrace who you are. Smile!