Monday, January 6, 2020

Tarantino's ode to the creative life.

What I enjoyed most about Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the job that DiCaprio's character takes in a TV western. It's a comedown from his starring role in his own show, and his interaction with the star of the new show only rubs that in. He's warned by his new agent that by taking on the "villain" role, he is taking a step down and it's going to be a long slide.

Yet DiCaprio gives it his all. We see him doubting the makeup and then embracing it. We see him struggle with his lines, we see his doubts.

But in the end, his pride of craftsmanship comes to fore and he nails it. Maybe most people won't notice it, but he knows he's done it.

In the end, he gets praise from the little girl in his scene. "That's the best acting I've ever seen." And he swell up in pride, tears coming to his eyes.

The irony is that his acting about acting is the best acting in the movie.

That's it, man. That's what it can feel like. Small praise can seem big indeed. And you know it when you've done it right, even if it's a small role and maybe few others will take notice. Except for the rare genius and the extremely lucky, most creative endeavors are that way. The "role" is never as big as we'd like, it's filled with struggle and doubt, and yet when you finish, you know when you've nailed it, and you swell with pride if even a few others notice.

One really great thing about working in Pegasus again is that every once in a while I meet someone who's read my book and seems happy to meet me. A single encounter like that, or even a single good review, can keep me writing for another month.

It's pride in the craft and doing it right.

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