“When I started,
I knew I was no actor
and I went to work on this Wayne thing.
and I went to work on this Wayne thing.
It was as deliberate a projection as you'll ever see.
I figured I needed a gimmick,
so I dreamed up the drawl,
so I dreamed up the drawl,
the squint and a way of moving
that meant to suggest
I wasn't looking for trouble,
that meant to suggest
I wasn't looking for trouble,
but would just as soon
throw a bottle at your head as not.
throw a bottle at your head as not.
I practiced in front of a mirror."
— John Wayne
“I used to tremble from nerves so badly
that the only way
I could hold my head steady
was to lower my chin
practically to my chest
that the only way
I could hold my head steady
was to lower my chin
practically to my chest
and look up at Bogie.
That was the beginning of The Look."
That was the beginning of The Look."
— Lauren Bacall
[Classic post from 5-16-11]
It is easy to idolize famous people, especially when you've watched just about every movie they've ever made or every song they've ever sung and so on. We see all the success of their trade usually without the knowledge of the beginning part, or the times they missed the mark.
I love reading the quote above by John Wayne because he just invented his persona out of thin air and then rehearsed it so often that it became him. He also said, “I play John Wayne in every part regardless of the character." That gave him a lot of practice.
Trying something new and unknown can be a fearful adventure or an interesting challenge. It is clear that for John Wayne and Lauren Bacall, it appears to have been both.
Often we might think that other people just get all the breaks and success, while we struggle for whatever we get. When we look a little deeper though, we find that they put their pants on one leg at a time, just being human like us.
If we sort of forget about the way things are supposed to be, or be who we think we ought to be, and instead, think about the way we want to be and let that come out, we will be so much better off. We can reinvent ourselves anytime we choose to.
People Do It All The Time…
Spread Some Joy Today–Is it time to reinvent a bit of yourself? What fun!