Inspired by Matthew McConaughy

 

In the razzle dazzle of Hollywood it is hard to find anyone who stands out from the crowd. The fraternity of Actors, Producers, Directors and various other technical guru’s seem to live in a world of its own. We get an occasional glimpse inside and for many of us, it is often a little unsettling!

 

Yesterday I read an article that reinforced that. It was a story about a gentleman who went to some of the Oscar parties. He was distressed to see the rampant public display of sexual innuendoes. 

 

The cruel and very public comments about various female stars who were “out of shape” and what that would mean in their imaginary bedroom were somewhat of a shock to the gentleman who wrote the article.

 

Frankly, I didn’t take any time to watch the Oscars or read too much about it. The glamour of Tinsel Town is probably wasted on me. 

 

Several years ago my wife and I did flirt with the possibility of a family member being more involved in the acting scene. My youngest son, Leagh had an opportunity to be represented by one of Hollywood’s top managers. We met him in Vancouver after he had seen Leagh at an earlier audition. He was quite taken with what he had seen in my son, who at the time was probably around nine years old. 

 

We met in the lobby of the Hyatt just off Burrard in Vancouver. What I witnessed was very impressive. At the time, he was managing several young actors who were starring in movies that were big hits at the box office. He explained to Leagh that he liked what he had seen and he would be very happy to represent Leagh on his roster at his Burbank offices. He promised he could make him very wealthy. He stated clearly that his actor’s were successful and he saw no reason why Leagh would not be able to achieve the same success. Jackie and I were sitting quietly on the sidelines, taking mental notes and not getting too excited. For a young nine year old, this was a pivotal meeting.

 

What we witnessed next left us with our mouths open! He then explained to Leagh for about half an hour, how acting was probably going to ruin his life. He indicated that he would probably never have a private life again. He talked about the fact that it was hard to stay off drugs as a young actor because the predators at the various gatherings in LA will find you and turn your life upside down. He asked Leagh several pointed questions about whether he could handle fame and fortune. Would he be comfortable getting into an airport with media looking to find him and crowds of screaming fans. Did he think he was strong enough to live that life and not have his life ruined!

 

Jackie and I were totally impressed. We expected the sales pitch, the “tinsel town talk”. What we got was a serious dose of reality. 

 

At that time, it didn’t put Leagh off chasing his dreams, which was important. But gradually, ever so slowly, the goal of becoming a big child star started to wane.

 

It was a wonderful experience for him as a child and for Jackie and I.  We felt very thankful to Jon Simmons for taking his time to look our son in the eye and without stealing his dream, simply lay down the truth for him. Thankfully, even at nine years old, Leagh was mature enough to absorb it and process it.

 

I had another surprise yesterday when I found a video posted about Matthew McConaughy’s acceptance speech. Take a look for yourself. It was a compelling thank you that laid out some basic principles that all of us can take a lesson from... well done Matthew McConaughy, congratulations on a wonderful speech.

 

What I love about McConaughey’s speech is so simple. He gives the thanks to someone other than himself, in this instance God. He publicly states his love and affection for his family and finally, he explains how he believes in himself so much that he is his own hero - somewhere in the future... love it!