Autocrats, Misanthropes and Narcissists
I heard this interview recently on NPR’s The Business that for whatever cosmic reason just resonnated with my life at the exact right moment. The Claude Brodesser-Akner interview was with Dennis Palumbo a Hollywood writer turned therapist to Hollywood writers, actors, etc. Palumbo basically hits the nail on the head with his ovservation that creative types trying to make a go of the entertainment industry aren’t really crazy, they’re just royally screwed.
I’m paraphrasing.
The basic conclusion laid out in the interview (which coincidentally was reinforced in my mind this past weekend over two nights of intense shooting for Refrain) is that whether you’re an aspiring writer, director or actor you essentially must go into this industry even knowing full well it’s going to beat you into the ground over and over again. As a “creative” you can’t help it. You can’t do anything else. Another vocation just isn’t even an option.
It’s a little disturbing.
Anyway, the interview grabbed me, so I thought I’d pass it on.
Refrain’s production is coming along! By the end of next week I’ll need to have my name pinned to my jacket just to remember what it is, but the result is going to be worth it. Who would have thought making a movie would be so exhausting?
T