Genius Is Not Enough

The other day I worked with Hester Don (I changed the name to protect the innocent/guilty). Here’s the thing: when he’s good, he’s absolutely freaking GENIUS. I mean? Transcendant. When he’s not, he’s green (indicated, or doesn’t really do anything, or sounds monotone or robotic, or makes no choices, or sounds like he’s just reading, or has no intention behind the text, etc.). All that fabulosity plus all that nothingness can average out to like a C+, you follow? I mean, there is NO WAY you miss the brilliance, but if you’re not a director, he can’t be adjusted out of the green, and even if you CAN get him out of the green, it ain’t easy because you have to spend time convincing him that the green is green, ‘cuz he doesn’t believe his green is green, HE thinks it’s genius, follow? The kid KNOWS his genius is genius, so he doesn’t really BELIEVE that EVERYTHING HE DOES isn’t genius. So you have to do a song and dance and then he FINALLY gets it. And then? Voila! He is unable to hold the adjustment upon repetition because he has absolutely NO TECHNIQUE.

I was watching the Olympics last night – am OBSESSED with the speed skating (Apollo was robbed, no?). Was watching the women’s downhill jumps and couldn’t help but notice their prep. Their prep is AS important as their actual RUN. And you can tell that they KNOW that. They have worked JUST as hard on how to SURVIVE the competition as they have worked on the actual COMPETING. SO INSPIRING.

Several things might happen for this actor: the auditors might

1. fall in love with his genius, close their eyes to the green, just hope it will go away with time (it won’t; they’ll have to write to what he can do only), and call him back,

2. recognize and appreciate the genius but think it’s not exactly what they’re looking for and be unwilling to make the effort to turn the green into something workable, and not call him back, or

3. think he’s just not ready to be a series regular, and not call him back.

In any event, if Mr. Don can come to recognize and choose to surpass his current limitations, he could be HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGE. Hope he does so.