Rehearsal vs. Make believe
I read this story about how Sean Penn decided he wanted to be an actor. It was during career day at his high school, and the actor Anthony Zerba came in to talk to Sean’s class. Sean couldn’t take his eyes off Zerba’s black ankle zip boots. He decided right then that if actors could wear cool things like that, he wanted to be one.
I’ve confessed it before, so there’s probably no harm in saying it again: One of the reasons I decided to go to law school (after deciding I could never make a living as a writer) was that my favorite character on one of the soap operas was a beautiful lawyer with long thick hair and a complicated love life. And since at the time I was a fat girl with terrible acne, why wouldn’t I want an upgrade?
I was thinking about that this morning as I set my VCR to record Meg Cabot’s interview on the Today show. Because watching her in that setting will help me decide how I would want to be in the same circumstances.
I’ve been reading some books by Paul McKenna lately. He’s a hypnotist and author of the best-selling Change Your Life in 7 Days, as well as other highly motivating and inspiring books. In the one I’m reading currently, he talks about how he decided he wanted to have his own TV show. So he started recording and watching shows with hosts he wanted to emulate. He paid attention to how they dressed, moved, spoke. He’d study them, then close his eyes and imagine himself in those same bodies, moving and speaking the same way. In time he did have his own show, and felt no fear appearing in front of the cameras. He’d been rehearsing for months.
I tend to get skittish about being in the spotlight. I love public speaking when I’m teaching something. I love it when the focus is outward. But I know I have to get used to people wanting to know a few things about me. I have this vision of me interrupting interviews to say, “But enough about me–how many brothers and sisters do you have?”
So while some people may view this sort of imaginary role-playing as make believe, I prefer to think of it as legitimate rehearsal–just like watching The Princess Brideover and over to help me write my own screenplay.
I have the feeling Meg Cabot will be wearing an outfit that’s way too girly for me, but I can certainly learn from how she handles herself in other respects. It’s the same reason I watched River Wild again yesterday to see how buff I need to get my arms before I’m as ready as Meryl Streep to handle white water and a ruthless killer. It always pays to be prepared.
Technorati Tags: Meg Cabot, Sean Penn, Anthony Zerba, Writing, Publishing, Public Speaking, Actors, Paul McKenna, Self-Confidence, Visualization, Meryl Streep, River Wild, The Princess Bride, Screenwriting