A Weekend (Almost) Devoid of Politics/Thoughts of Actors & Acting

Perhaps, it’s because most of our readers know us only as guys who blog primarily about politics that they assume politics is all we do.  And sometimes, a lot of news relates to the things we blog about, it sometimes seems that way, to me at least.

And yet, Bruce loves his dogs and is fascinated by the explorations of Lewis & Clark (and I think I do detect a budding interest in NASCAR) while I love mythology, history, movies and literature and am devoted to my nieces and nephews (and wondering why their parents refuse to bring them to Southern California so I can take them to Disneyland).

I had had a whole list of topics I wished to address this wish, from dating to monogamy to acting to writing, family literature and movies that I had wished to address this past week, but because of the press of obligations surrounding the California Supreme Court’s decision on Proposition 8, found myself devoting the better part of last week to topics political and judicial.  Perhaps, it’s the reason I so focused on the Yard Sale later in the week, in my actions as well as my thoughts. It may not have been fascinating per se (as I claimed), but just that it wasn’t politics.

The Yard Sale even gave me a new idea for a screenplay (actually several ideas based on one notion, a buyer finding an intriguing item in a piece of clothing she buys).  So, I played with that idea–as well as several others all weekend.  Of the notes I scribbled, most deal with subjects other than politics, but alas only a few (but definitely more than none) dealt with my much delayed dissertation.

Perhaps because I had just blogged about acting on Friday and participated in a Yard Sale organized by an actress, I have also been thinking much about actors and acting this weekend.  And having watched so many acting friends work so hard for so little reward, I have frequently been impressed with their determination against almost unimaginable odds.

When you see an actor take the time to get her headshots done, then send them out to casting directors et al., and watch the various ways they pursue auditioning opportunities, then listen to their stories of those auditions (when they’re lucky enough to get them), I wonder if anyone experiences more rejection than aspiring actors in Hollywood and New York.  And yet, despite that, many persist.  Their resilience inspires me–as does their love of the craft.

I have found that there are two ways to tell the really dedicated actors out here (beyond their persistence in sticking with it despite repeated rejection).  Either they’re regularly accepting opportunities to appear in productions even for the tiniest theater company or they are constantly studying the craft of favorite stars of stage and screen.  And they never talk about wanting to be a movie star, instead they talk about the kinds roles they want to play.

There’s more to it than that–and there is a post kicking around in my head contrasting the success of actors in Hollywood with that of other professionals in different towns.  If people in other professions had as much talent for their vocation and persisted in pursuit of opportunities as do many of my acting friends, they would never hurt for employment.  That is, actors with a good work ethic don’t always find professional success for their efforts.  And yet they keep trying.

No wonder they inspire me.