Last night's drama
I don't know whether it can still be referred to as an epiphany when the revelation is something you already knew. It's more a case of there finally being such a glaring example that I can no longer deny the facts.
A. is all about the drama.
He called me up on my cell around 5 pm yesterday, as I was attempting to crop and fiddle with the contrast/brightness of my recent headshots. His first bit of news was rather disappointing. It seems that the infant daughter of the fellow playing our Southern hick police officer has been admitted to the hospital with some sort of serious gastro-intestinal issue. As a result, we will most likely be losing one of the more comical performances from the film. This is bad (as it is a little late to cast someone else before Friday).
A. then informed me that V., the director, was talking about playing the role himself. This is far worse than the first bit of news. A. explained that the assistant director and the director's girlfriend (both of whom are in love with the director) have begun pumping V.'s mind with his own fabulousness, leading to this most terrible casting decision. You see, the issue is not so much that V. cannot act like a Southern hick cop, it's that V. cannot act human. He is already the most unusual person I know, frightfully eccentric, and possessed of a rather remarkable inability to mimic normal human intonation. He also does not need the further distraction of playing a role in the movie he is already struggling (in my opinion) to direct.
A. was taking this quite hard and began rambling about how it spells the doom of the film. He went off (in typical misogynistic fashion) about how the women are filling V.'s head with bad ideas and leading us all into hell. He then recounted his version of a phone conversation with M., V.'s girlfriend, in which she supposedly began accusing A. of lying about V.'s plans to propose marriage to her. According to A., she went completely off the deep end, somehow transitioned from engagements to the film-making process, and said something to the effect of how we should all suck it up and start doing what V. and J. tell us to because they are doing us a favor by "teaching" us how to write and/or act.
A. was furious. He was building himself up to a rage while on the phone with me. I was a little stunned, but took this hearsay with a grain of salt (a result of knowing A. for more than ten years). Now, I have my problems with J.'s abrasive manner and I was very disturbed by M.'s attitude in this supposed conversation. These people need to realize that the vast majority of "actors" participating in this project are not seeking entry into a film/stage career (unlike V., M., and J.) and are volunteering their time out of friendship. As a result, if I get any of the sort of rude, bullshit, powertrip attitude that J. has copped with some of the crew, I will just walk off the project. It's that simple.
The interesting thing is that I said exactly what A. wanted to hear. He then went off about how he was going to sit down with V. and J. and let them know that people are dissatisfied with the way they are being treated. He was not going to "name any names" but he would mention that people were talking about walking if J. continues to play the venomous bitch. I was shaking my head the entire time, realizing that A. was blowing this way out of proportion (as is his way). He rattled on about how he did not like the way V. was treating him and he felt like he no longer had any input in the project. Blah, blah, blah.
"Ummm... [A.]? Don't you think maybe that's what this is really about? [V.] has taken away any illusions of power you once had and now you are just looking for a way to get that back. You're going to go to them and issue an ultimatum regarding the dissatisfation of the crew, but for no other reason than to demonstrate that you aren't completely impotent."
Silence.
"Maybe instead of meeting with him and delivering threats on the behalf of others (who don't even have any real cause to issue threats) you should actually talk to him about the fact that you are feeling excluded from the decision making process. Since that seems to be what this is all about."
I took his silence as agreement. I think I nipped that one in the bud (if indeed A. would have ever even have the cajones to threaten V. on my behalf (I have my doubts)). Regardless, I am almost certain that no conversation whatsoever took place because A. is full of shit.
This was my epiphany. A. leads such an incredibly dull life and has so little of significance to get worked up over that he fabricates drama where there is none. He seems to derive some cathartic benefit from conversations wherein he hands his mangled fabrication off to others and they join him in overreacting to it. After a few hours of vituperative diatribe, he moves on and promptly forgets the situation, leaving others to carry the burden of his half-truths, speculations, and outright lies.
So, whatever. I am proud of myself for actually realizing that his entire gambit was a response to his own insecurities and loss of power rather than allowing him to go off and wreak havoc in my name ("not mentioning any names, of course").
Oddly enough, the "dress rehearsal" was a breeze last night. Everyone (except our now uncast policeman) was in attendance (eventually) and I felt as though everyone read quite well. My scene with Keith seems pretty solid. There was minimal drama (except as expected in character) and much fun to be had by all. I delighted all (and unsettled a few) with my costume highjinks. We had been requested to bring alternative costume possibilities for our character so, at one point, I produced a zebra-skin thong out of my cargo pants pocket.
And when asked how my tight "Fall of the Mutants" t-shirt from elementary school fit me, I responded, "sex-ily!"
A. is all about the drama.
He called me up on my cell around 5 pm yesterday, as I was attempting to crop and fiddle with the contrast/brightness of my recent headshots. His first bit of news was rather disappointing. It seems that the infant daughter of the fellow playing our Southern hick police officer has been admitted to the hospital with some sort of serious gastro-intestinal issue. As a result, we will most likely be losing one of the more comical performances from the film. This is bad (as it is a little late to cast someone else before Friday).
A. then informed me that V., the director, was talking about playing the role himself. This is far worse than the first bit of news. A. explained that the assistant director and the director's girlfriend (both of whom are in love with the director) have begun pumping V.'s mind with his own fabulousness, leading to this most terrible casting decision. You see, the issue is not so much that V. cannot act like a Southern hick cop, it's that V. cannot act human. He is already the most unusual person I know, frightfully eccentric, and possessed of a rather remarkable inability to mimic normal human intonation. He also does not need the further distraction of playing a role in the movie he is already struggling (in my opinion) to direct.
A. was taking this quite hard and began rambling about how it spells the doom of the film. He went off (in typical misogynistic fashion) about how the women are filling V.'s head with bad ideas and leading us all into hell. He then recounted his version of a phone conversation with M., V.'s girlfriend, in which she supposedly began accusing A. of lying about V.'s plans to propose marriage to her. According to A., she went completely off the deep end, somehow transitioned from engagements to the film-making process, and said something to the effect of how we should all suck it up and start doing what V. and J. tell us to because they are doing us a favor by "teaching" us how to write and/or act.
A. was furious. He was building himself up to a rage while on the phone with me. I was a little stunned, but took this hearsay with a grain of salt (a result of knowing A. for more than ten years). Now, I have my problems with J.'s abrasive manner and I was very disturbed by M.'s attitude in this supposed conversation. These people need to realize that the vast majority of "actors" participating in this project are not seeking entry into a film/stage career (unlike V., M., and J.) and are volunteering their time out of friendship. As a result, if I get any of the sort of rude, bullshit, powertrip attitude that J. has copped with some of the crew, I will just walk off the project. It's that simple.
The interesting thing is that I said exactly what A. wanted to hear. He then went off about how he was going to sit down with V. and J. and let them know that people are dissatisfied with the way they are being treated. He was not going to "name any names" but he would mention that people were talking about walking if J. continues to play the venomous bitch. I was shaking my head the entire time, realizing that A. was blowing this way out of proportion (as is his way). He rattled on about how he did not like the way V. was treating him and he felt like he no longer had any input in the project. Blah, blah, blah.
"Ummm... [A.]? Don't you think maybe that's what this is really about? [V.] has taken away any illusions of power you once had and now you are just looking for a way to get that back. You're going to go to them and issue an ultimatum regarding the dissatisfation of the crew, but for no other reason than to demonstrate that you aren't completely impotent."
Silence.
"Maybe instead of meeting with him and delivering threats on the behalf of others (who don't even have any real cause to issue threats) you should actually talk to him about the fact that you are feeling excluded from the decision making process. Since that seems to be what this is all about."
I took his silence as agreement. I think I nipped that one in the bud (if indeed A. would have ever even have the cajones to threaten V. on my behalf (I have my doubts)). Regardless, I am almost certain that no conversation whatsoever took place because A. is full of shit.
This was my epiphany. A. leads such an incredibly dull life and has so little of significance to get worked up over that he fabricates drama where there is none. He seems to derive some cathartic benefit from conversations wherein he hands his mangled fabrication off to others and they join him in overreacting to it. After a few hours of vituperative diatribe, he moves on and promptly forgets the situation, leaving others to carry the burden of his half-truths, speculations, and outright lies.
So, whatever. I am proud of myself for actually realizing that his entire gambit was a response to his own insecurities and loss of power rather than allowing him to go off and wreak havoc in my name ("not mentioning any names, of course").
Oddly enough, the "dress rehearsal" was a breeze last night. Everyone (except our now uncast policeman) was in attendance (eventually) and I felt as though everyone read quite well. My scene with Keith seems pretty solid. There was minimal drama (except as expected in character) and much fun to be had by all. I delighted all (and unsettled a few) with my costume highjinks. We had been requested to bring alternative costume possibilities for our character so, at one point, I produced a zebra-skin thong out of my cargo pants pocket.
And when asked how my tight "Fall of the Mutants" t-shirt from elementary school fit me, I responded, "sex-ily!"