My childhood was a 5 foot 10 white man: a thank you
I would like to take this moment to talk about my time today with a man named Rob Paulsen.
Rob Paulsen's 140 character tweet just now about "humaness" kinda blows this entire post out of the water, but I'm going to write this anyway, because that's what we theater people do. Talk. Skip to the star if you don't wanna listen to a girl ramble for 3 paragraphs. *
For people who read my last post (and by "people" I mean me, myself, and I), Rob Paulsen is an extremely talent man who has probably been part of any person's childhood at some point. This could be another spaz post as I retell how I was hyperventilating just from being in the same room as him. But I won't. This is going to be a post about what Rob Paulsen reminded me about what it means to be a performing artist and a human being.
First thing he talked about when he came in wasn't about how awesome he was (even though there was plenty of it later, ha ha), but how affected he was by one little tweet some troll sent him. Apparently some douche tweeted a picture of his animaniac tapes/dvds thrown into the garbage can along with denouncing his fanhood of Rob, all because he was upset that Rob said the N-word as a character on the show "The Boondocks". Admittedly, "The Boondocks" is one of the blackest shows I've ever seen (and i mean that in the most unpolitically correct way), but this guy was obviously just being stupid for so many reasons that has already been covered by Rob and his 5000 twitter fan-knights that ripped the shit out of this troll. Yet even so, despite the hundreds of adoring fans who showered him with love at NYCC, it was interesting how one tweet made this amazingly talented and confident man suddenly sensitive about his choices and an actor.
Despite looking forward to the break and comic con, I was a little depressed this week. I had been getting sick more, which lead to missing studio and academic classes, with no time to catch up on shit because of the addition of long and late night rehearsals for the musical Daughters that resulted in 14 hour work days. Top it off with parents that respond to a happy girl's news that she's in a mainstage show, with "how is the computer science minor is going?" , and you've got an Angel who's stressed as fuck. Is this a self-centered rant? Yes. Should I be complaining? HELL NO. I'm a Playwrights kid for pete's sake, multitasking is my middle name! But it wasn't the workload that was bothering me, it was the fact that because I was not producing work on par with my standards, I began getting lazy to point at one point I actually thought "I can't wait to get this over with and graduate". And I HATE myself for letting that thought get into my head, because I already know that its not going to get any easier. Getting out there is going to be a fuck ton harder than juggling studio projects for school. And so I've been doubting myself, as I've always do in my head.
But something Rob said today stuck with me. Don't quote me on this, but he said something along the lines of "On the days that your beginning to have your doubts, think ' nobody forces themselves to be an actor.' " I don't know why I didn't think of telling myself this before instead of wallowing in my own pity till some sort of ego confirmation comes along. I chose to be here and do what I do despite everything my parents, society and common sense have told me what I should do. I do it not only because I love it, but because what I know it can do for people. Rob mentioned that one of his favorite things about is job is seeing people smile when they work, and how that smile has helped so many people through hard times in their life. I don't know if my work will ever cure someone's depression or something, but seeing a man like him talk about that with such sincerity and gratitude touched me in ways words can't really describe.
* So long story short, if you ever read this Rob, thank you for giving me hope in the human capacity for empathy and the ability of art to unlock that. Thank you for re-inspiring me, thank you for restoring my confidence and being one of the most generous people I've ever met, and thank you for being human, and sharing that with us. In fact thank you every today for sharing your love :)
So, remember how this wasn't going to be an spaz post? I lied.
OMG SO ROB PAULSEN CONSISTENTLY DID ALL THESE VOICES AND WAS PINKY AND YAKKO AND EVERYTHING AND ALL OF MY FEELS CAME OUT AND I WAS HOLDING MY CHEST BECAUSE OF MY FEELS AND ROB WAS TEASING ME ABOUT MY FEELS AND WHEN I WENT IN THE BOOTH HE ACTUALLY LIKED MY WORK HE DIDN'T REALLY SAY ANYTHING ELSE BESIDES GREAT JOB AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS BUT APPARENTLY CARL WHEEZER WANTS TO MARRY ME CUZ I'M APPARENTLY ADORABLE AND WHEN I WAS DOING ANIMATION COPY IN THE BOOTH I SUDDENLY BECAUSE A JERSEY GHETTO PERSON IN GRAVITY FALLS I DON'T KNOW WHY I DID THAT AND I FELT LIKE SHIT WHEN I SAID I HADN'T SEE THE NEW NINJA TURTLES BECAUSE I HAVE NO TV IN MY DORM AND CARL FUCKING SUGAR WHEEZER WAS THE SWEETEST THING AND I'M KICKING MYSELF FOR NOT BEING AS ARTICULATE WITH MY QUESTIONS AND STUFF AS I SHOULD HAVE AND BEEN ALL PROFESSIONAL AND ENDED UP JUST REPEATEDLY SAYING "THANK YOU" LIKE SOME PERSON WITH TURRETS BUT ALL MY FEEEEEEEEELLLLZZ WERE IN THE WAY AND SO MANY HUGS AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH ROB PAULSEN!!!!
All pent up FEELZ have now been released.
Love,
Angel
Rob Paulsen's 140 character tweet just now about "humaness" kinda blows this entire post out of the water, but I'm going to write this anyway, because that's what we theater people do. Talk. Skip to the star if you don't wanna listen to a girl ramble for 3 paragraphs. *
For people who read my last post (and by "people" I mean me, myself, and I), Rob Paulsen is an extremely talent man who has probably been part of any person's childhood at some point. This could be another spaz post as I retell how I was hyperventilating just from being in the same room as him. But I won't. This is going to be a post about what Rob Paulsen reminded me about what it means to be a performing artist and a human being.
First thing he talked about when he came in wasn't about how awesome he was (even though there was plenty of it later, ha ha), but how affected he was by one little tweet some troll sent him. Apparently some douche tweeted a picture of his animaniac tapes/dvds thrown into the garbage can along with denouncing his fanhood of Rob, all because he was upset that Rob said the N-word as a character on the show "The Boondocks". Admittedly, "The Boondocks" is one of the blackest shows I've ever seen (and i mean that in the most unpolitically correct way), but this guy was obviously just being stupid for so many reasons that has already been covered by Rob and his 5000 twitter fan-knights that ripped the shit out of this troll. Yet even so, despite the hundreds of adoring fans who showered him with love at NYCC, it was interesting how one tweet made this amazingly talented and confident man suddenly sensitive about his choices and an actor.
Despite looking forward to the break and comic con, I was a little depressed this week. I had been getting sick more, which lead to missing studio and academic classes, with no time to catch up on shit because of the addition of long and late night rehearsals for the musical Daughters that resulted in 14 hour work days. Top it off with parents that respond to a happy girl's news that she's in a mainstage show, with "how is the computer science minor is going?" , and you've got an Angel who's stressed as fuck. Is this a self-centered rant? Yes. Should I be complaining? HELL NO. I'm a Playwrights kid for pete's sake, multitasking is my middle name! But it wasn't the workload that was bothering me, it was the fact that because I was not producing work on par with my standards, I began getting lazy to point at one point I actually thought "I can't wait to get this over with and graduate". And I HATE myself for letting that thought get into my head, because I already know that its not going to get any easier. Getting out there is going to be a fuck ton harder than juggling studio projects for school. And so I've been doubting myself, as I've always do in my head.
But something Rob said today stuck with me. Don't quote me on this, but he said something along the lines of "On the days that your beginning to have your doubts, think ' nobody forces themselves to be an actor.' " I don't know why I didn't think of telling myself this before instead of wallowing in my own pity till some sort of ego confirmation comes along. I chose to be here and do what I do despite everything my parents, society and common sense have told me what I should do. I do it not only because I love it, but because what I know it can do for people. Rob mentioned that one of his favorite things about is job is seeing people smile when they work, and how that smile has helped so many people through hard times in their life. I don't know if my work will ever cure someone's depression or something, but seeing a man like him talk about that with such sincerity and gratitude touched me in ways words can't really describe.
* So long story short, if you ever read this Rob, thank you for giving me hope in the human capacity for empathy and the ability of art to unlock that. Thank you for re-inspiring me, thank you for restoring my confidence and being one of the most generous people I've ever met, and thank you for being human, and sharing that with us. In fact thank you every today for sharing your love :)
So, remember how this wasn't going to be an spaz post? I lied.
OMG SO ROB PAULSEN CONSISTENTLY DID ALL THESE VOICES AND WAS PINKY AND YAKKO AND EVERYTHING AND ALL OF MY FEELS CAME OUT AND I WAS HOLDING MY CHEST BECAUSE OF MY FEELS AND ROB WAS TEASING ME ABOUT MY FEELS AND WHEN I WENT IN THE BOOTH HE ACTUALLY LIKED MY WORK HE DIDN'T REALLY SAY ANYTHING ELSE BESIDES GREAT JOB AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS BUT APPARENTLY CARL WHEEZER WANTS TO MARRY ME CUZ I'M APPARENTLY ADORABLE AND WHEN I WAS DOING ANIMATION COPY IN THE BOOTH I SUDDENLY BECAUSE A JERSEY GHETTO PERSON IN GRAVITY FALLS I DON'T KNOW WHY I DID THAT AND I FELT LIKE SHIT WHEN I SAID I HADN'T SEE THE NEW NINJA TURTLES BECAUSE I HAVE NO TV IN MY DORM AND CARL FUCKING SUGAR WHEEZER WAS THE SWEETEST THING AND I'M KICKING MYSELF FOR NOT BEING AS ARTICULATE WITH MY QUESTIONS AND STUFF AS I SHOULD HAVE AND BEEN ALL PROFESSIONAL AND ENDED UP JUST REPEATEDLY SAYING "THANK YOU" LIKE SOME PERSON WITH TURRETS BUT ALL MY FEEEEEEEEELLLLZZ WERE IN THE WAY AND SO MANY HUGS AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH ROB PAULSEN!!!!
All pent up FEELZ have now been released.
Love,
Angel