Face In The Crowd

When I was a kid, it became a joke between my brother, sister, and me that if we watched a movie with my father, at some point a new character would appear on the screen and he’d say, “Oh, hey. Isn’t that Bert Lancaster?” or, “Isn’t that Ann Bancroft?” We thought this was hilarious. We could not make sense of what we perceived to be his obsession with recognizing actors. Plus, he seemed to recognize so many of them. It was like these celebrities were his friends, and he was glad to see that they were doing well.

The other night I watched the Wes Anderson film The French Dispatch, a movie simply packed with a smorgasbord of recognizable actors, from Willem Defoe to Frances McDormand to a non-speaking cameo by Christoph Waltz. My wife and even my twenty-three-year-old son and I couldn’t stop saying things like, “Hey, it’s that guy. The one from that movie.” Actually, that’s a direct quote from me. I knew what I meant. Of course, I do this all the time now, and have been for years. I’ve accepted that I owe my father an apology for the teasing he received fifty some years ago, which if I can ever remember to give him, I will.

It's the surprise, you see. When we chose to watch The French Dispatch, we had no idea who was in it – except Bill Murray, because it was Wes Anderson film. If I’d been prepared, I wouldn’t have needed to point out that it was Jordan Peele playing the American journalist. For an instant, I’m not watching a movie, I’m not seeing characters caught in a drama, I’m seeing an actor playing a character caught in a drama. Why, it’s all make believe!

I had a similar experience when I watched a clip of a series that featured a friend of mine. All I could see was Chris pretending to be this person I knew for a fact he wasn’t. I know those other actors aren’t my friends, but there is something inherently friendly about recognition, the light feeling I get when I glance through a crowd, and there to my surprise is a face I know. I’m not as alone as I thought, it turns out – and likely never am.

If you like the ideas and perspectives expressed here, feel free to contact me about individual coaching and group workshops.

Everyone Has What It Takes: A Writer’s Guide to the End of Self-Doubt
You can find William at: williamkenower.com