Being a Treat

Watching a video of one of my favorite actors, Frances McDormand, and the Coen brothers something struck me profoundly at the end of the clip. When asking about Billy Bob Thornton, a main character in the Coen brothers' movie, "The Man Who Wasn't There," Ethan Coen, described him as "a treat." Even before any descriptive, a pleasurable laugh was made by all. I loved this.

The beauty for me here is the pure pleasure that was evoked through smiles and laughter at the mere mention of Thornton's name. McDormand even said that he felt like a "family member." How wonderful is that? McDormand also noted that even though Thornton himself is a writer and director that he never sought to usurp his role in this setting. He was an actor. There is a beautiful humility here and a great lesson. Thornton will undoubtedly work with the Coen brothers again. The atmosphere changed at the mention of his name.

Looking at the clip I could not help but to wonder if we are really conscious of the impression we are leaving whether at home or work. Do others enjoy our company? Would they like to work with us again? Here's another thought that came to me: Isn't it funny that Thornton is sometimes viewed in the media as complicated and uneasy? Yet, he is described in the clip as being "so easy" to work with. I never bought into that negative stereotype anyway. While Thornton undoubtedly has his ways, as we all do, I always viewed him as the consummate professional. His body of work proves this.

So, I had to ask myself after watching this video today: What impressions are you leaving?

Being Frances McDormand

When I lived in New York City on the Upper West Side, I was a member of the New York Sports Club which was just down the street. Everyday I worked out and ran into the likes of Al Roker, who often had his cheery little daughter, and Frances McDormand. It was also there where I met and began dating a Swedish actor, Sven, who was one of the beautiful bodies in Die Hard with a Vengeance. He was a part of the meancing security team in the revengeful plot by Jeremy Iron's character, Simon Gruber. The relationship was short and sweet.

Frances McDormand was not a big movie star then I don't think. Or, she wasn't written of often as some others were. But there was something very inviting about this anti femme fatale movie actor that had intelligent eyes and an energy that was noticeable. We chatted every now and then on the bikes and while stretching. At the time she might have mentioned that she was an actor, but I had not seen her in anything at that point and there were a great many actors, stuggling and otherwise, living in New York.

But Frances McDormand is the real deal. She never ceases to amaze me. The characters she play are diverse and wholly consuming. They're sensitive, funny, fierce and completely believable. Think:

Mississippi Burning
Fargo
Almost Famous

Most recently, I saw the very delightful well produced, directed and acted, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day and was reminded of what a splendid superior talent McDormand is. Speaking of the movie, I loved the music too! The scene with "If I Didn't Care" by Jack Lawrence is a winner and Amy Adams and Shirley Henderson both deserve serious nods too. Henderson's performance was especially spellbinding; though brief, it was very noticeable.

There are not many actors in Hollywood today that are as diverse and talented as Frances McDormand. For me, she's up there with the very best. She's a real talent, my kind of talent.