Anger Management
Posted on | March 24, 2010
What do you do when you’re pissed off at someone? When you are there in their lives, helping them plot and scheme-only to find out you’ve been plotted and schemed against and then, only to find out you’re the constant minor character in their drama, how do you break out of type-casting?
Is it: SCOUNDREL in A SCOUNDREL PRODUCTION directed by SCOUNDREL produced by SCOUNDREL in association with SCOUNDREL FILMS…
?
We are always someone’s minor character. The Nurse1, who is pivotal to the creation of the climax but not essential, comes to mind.
Or how about the extra, sword in hand, who delivers the proverbial, “What ho!”?
My life has always been about the top billing but what if I’m not actually the name-above-title?
I’m the side-kick. I’m the three lines-or-less. I’m the face that graces the camera for .02 seconds while we focus in on the lead.
It’s hard not to see yourself as essential, as mandatory a player in everyone’s drama.
I think I’m far more important than I actually am.
I think therefore I am.
I think.
No, actually, sometimes I just don’t think.
Which brings me back to the title of this piece. Why do I get so angry when I’m not considered? When a phone call isn’t returned or a gesture, brought on by kindness, isn’t reciprocated? Why, oh why, do I think I’m more important than I actually am?
I guess it boils down to: IT’S MY DRAMA, PEOPLE! SMARTEN UP!
Letting go of your ego, every once in a while, is more important than you may think. Releasing that need of top billing may be just what is necessary to remind you that you’re not the star of the picture. Oh sure, we all may want to be Keifer Sutherland in “24″ but we’re actually just the guy in the red shirt who gets killed off in the first act of Star Trek. And, frankly, there are far too many to mention. William Shatner aside, we ain’t the star!
Just stop; pause, and remember that you’re not the lead in everyone’s life. You, just, might be the comic foil!
That, in-and-of-itself, is humbling. We can’t always be the star.
But we can sure as hell try to steal the scene.
FADE TO BLACK
- in Romeo and Juliet [↩]
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3 Responses to “Anger Management”
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March 24th, 2010 @ 11:22 pm
You’re a scene stealer to me sweetheart!
By the way I need that baby Jesus prop back
March 25th, 2010 @ 12:02 am
Awwww, that’s so sweet!
And you can’t have it back JUST yet. I still have an idea for a show.
March 29th, 2010 @ 8:03 am
Been there, done that. When do I get my Oscar!… LOL,
Good piece.