Hitting the Small Time
by James Roland
I’ve never been overly impressed with stardom. Except when Ben Affleck went to the bathroom.
It was on the set of Project Greenlight. Ben arrived with Jennifer Lopez, encased in shiny steel and tinted windows. When they emerged from their BMW they were already wearing make-up, and they began to mingle in with the crowd, pretending to talk to the people that were actually working.
Ben made his way to the portable bathrooms, and headed straight for the one stall we had labeled with caution tape and signs that read OUT OF ORDER.
I’ll admit there was a small, sick part of me that would have loved to see Ben Affleck come running out of an overflowing bathroom. But I really couldn’t begrudge the guy his wealth and notoriety, so I said, “You don’t want to go in there.”
He shot me a puzzled look, so I pointed out the enormous warning signs and bright yellow tape. Then he turned to the crew, grinned, and said, “Thanks for the tip.”
Everyone laughed. Then someone took a picture.
It was then that I realized fame means people love you so much they applaud you for having a bowel movement, even if you’re illiterate.
And possibly color blind.
So what makes an artist seek this level of fame? And make no mistake, this sort of fame is not thrust upon anyone (that is reserved for greatness, which is something completely different). This sort of fame is sought out and it takes over completely; every artistic decision must be weighed against the fans, every acting role will be dictated by audience polls.
Recently I’ve met a few artists that have opted for a more “grass roots” approach to their careers. I know an actor that left Los Angeles to work in community theater in Milwaukee. A fellow filmmaker left his job on a major hour-long drama at Fox Studios to film an episodic documentary in Israel.
In the case of Damon Abdallah, an artist from Spokane, Washington, he moved to the minuscule town of Twisp to pursue his acting career.
To anyone working as a background performer for a big studio show, this might seem like a bad idea. And it is true that it’s easier to be a big fish in a small pond rather than in southern California. But what these artists give up in big name credits they get back in big opportunities.
If artistic gratification is your goal, why not snag the role of Hamlet at a community theater instead of Innocent Bystander #1 on the set of Spider-Man 5?
The music industry has already broken away from Nashville, spreading to San Diego, Seattle, and Denver, while new bands are discovered and supported through Myspace and other Internet 2.0 sites.
And the movie industry is fragmenting as well, building steam in Chicago, Boston, and Austin, Texas. Meanwhile, YouTube and other video hosting sites are thriving with independent filmmakers ready and able to show their short films to a broad audience.
It is now possible to take your artistic career with you. Sure you may have to flip burgers for a while to pay the rent, but on evenings and weekends you can be the one in the spotlight, already knowing the answer to the artist’s greatest question.
To be, or not to be?
Click the video below for a RedFence Interview with Damon Abdallah:
