Friday is for Feelings

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

I do not like actors.

I also don't believe in half-assed emotions (I'm an Aries, which a lot of people say justifies my anger)...so I guess let me rephrase:

I hate actors.

Why do I hate actors? I don't know. My therapist (aka my dad...hey Dad!...JK he doesn't know how to use the "online"...) will probably tell you it's because I hate myself. Maybe I do hate myself (JK have you seen this bone structure?!), but that doesn't change the fact that I HATE ACTORS.

Seriously, look at us. We're pushy, we're self-absorbed, we're usually extremely misguided (YOU WILL NEVER BE FANNY BRICE) and incredibly attention hungry. Rarely do we actually care what happens below the surface as long as there's confetti or an 11 o'clock number involved in our immediate future. When we DO care about what's happening below the surface, we usually hope it's torturous, brooding, and psychologically disturbed, and only so we have an excuse to put our personal problems on a stage for the world to see. The world then admires us for our strength to approach such heartfelt matters in such a public way, but we're just happy to be awarded with shiny statues and paychecks for something most people pay thousands of dollars to deal with in private. THEN we can feel fulfilled.

But don't worry. You normal, everyday people "relate" to us.

I also don't like to use generalizations.

I realize that everything prior to this statement is a generalization...except for the very specific actors that I actually, really do hate...but they probably hate me equally...and they can suck it...Hey guys! LOVE that shirt! (JK you look chunky in that shirt.)

But fast forward to the actors that somehow avoid the generalizations. There are, shockingly enough, actors that somehow manage to stay grounded...and by "grounded" I mean the actors that acknowledge how absolutely absurd and ridiculous this profession is and how absurd and ridiculous they are. They still plan to be a star, kick your ass, and win a Tony, but they do it in such a way that you believe and (dare I say) trust that they actually care about you.

And as an actor, all I want is for people to care about me.

And those caring actors, my dear readers, are the actors that I have the pleasure to work with on a daily basis. Never in my life have I sat down amongst other actors and felt like I wasn't trying to keep up. Never have I experienced an actor that would sit down, casually drink straight whiskey with me (dude, bro, love, no homo, yes homo) and say, "This is me. Here I am. My balls are exposed for you to punch." I mean metaphorically. I've had a lot of balls vulnerably exposed to me in my time (oh hey F15), but never in such a heartfelt way.

Am I being too sentimental? Maybe. Am I still riding high on the buzz of Happy Hour? Absolutely.

But I'm going to say it world:

I love these actors.

and if they don't love me back...they can suck it.

Love and Hate are two sides of the same coin.

It's probably a penny,

TJB: Making It