Assist! My Sitcom Previous Is Ruining My Political Future
All through the ’90s and early ’00s, I performed a sitcom character whose predominant persona trait was that he was a dunce. Good-looking, certain—however a dunce.
Each episode had him partaking in some buffoonery or one other—the decrease his IQ appeared to go, the upper the scores. He was the kind to consider in Sasquatches however assume Komodo dragons had been made up. In a single early episode, he spent 24 hours trapped in a settee. He was mystified by cotton sweet. At one level, I even needed to get ophthalmological surgical procedure as a result of my character spent a lot time cross-eyed whereas tussling with a kitchen utensil or a transferring walkway.
I want I’d by no means performed him. My true dream is political. I’ve run for mayor in my metropolis thrice now, however nobody takes me critically. The primary time, individuals thought it was a prank, perhaps even advertising and marketing for a sitcom reboot. On the marketing campaign path, people joke that they need to “babyproof” their venues and ask me intentionally easy questions on inhabitants densities.
Remy, I graduated magna cum laude from highschool earlier than learning Genetics at Duke. I do know pi to the fortieth decimal place (it’s 1, and no, I didn’t Google that). And but, all anybody sees is the man who as soon as “broke a tooth” as a result of he thought macaroni was a breakfast cereal.
Is there any approach I can shake off this mantle? It’s like being haunted by a really silly ghost.
Achieved and Dumber
Expensive Achieved and Dumber,
It sounds such as you’ve put within the work and have the credentials, however that shadow solid by your sitcom character nonetheless stumbles behind you, spitting malapropisms. I’m wondering, although, are you holding onto that persona as tightly because the viewers is? Might part of you continue to be counting on that protected, acquainted function, whilst you run for workplace?
Typically, we “throw on” our previous selves as a result of they supply consolation—like an over-worn onesie. What if, as a substitute of distancing your self from the “dunce,” you leaned into it with a dose of self-awareness? In politics, like in TV, having a novel promoting level may help enormously. This beloved bozo may be the key sauce your opponents lack. A marketing campaign that humorously acknowledges your previous might do greater than any stump speech to alter minds. Possibly you could be in on the joke—contemplate a video the place you knowingly reference him, or convey a cotton sweet machine to your subsequent rally.
You may’t divest your self of this character—until you go for intensive cosmetic surgery, which I think would delay marketing campaign actions and scare kids who may in any other case be good for picture alternatives. However maybe voters don’t want you to shed your former self solely; they simply have to see the intelligence and fervour driving you now. That “very silly ghost” could lastly depart you alone when you invite it in, tackle it, and present everybody who you’re past the punchlines.
Wishing you a marketing campaign path crammed with curiosity and open minds,
Remy
Illustration by Russ Tudor
I’m a Costume Designer With a Weighty Dilemma
Expensive Remy,
I merely adore my function as a dressing up designer on a Netflix interval drama. I spend all day buried deep in peacock feathers and periwinkle petticoats—the dream!
However I’m dealing with a really awkward conundrum. Considered one of our solid members has… gained a couple of kilos over the past yr however refuses to acknowledge it. We’ve mentioned letting out his ordinary clothes and including elastic to his waistlines, however he insists on utilizing the measurements we now have on file from 12 months in the past.
It’s changing into a problem; he appears to be like absurd on display screen—extra like a stringed ham a maid may serve within the kitchen than the lord of a landed property. Now we have to restore his cummerbund thrice a day. Just lately, throughout a dancing scene the place he wore braces, they go off him in a single fell swoop mid-Scotch reel.
Remy, I’d love your recommendation on navigating this, ideally with out embarrassing him or jeopardizing my job.
Hem Traces and Laborious Truths
Expensive Hem Traces and Laborious Realitys,
Costuming interval dramas feels like a dream, however even desires have caveats sewn into their material. I’m certain you’re treading delicately, however let me ask: is that this about numbers on a tape measure, or his consolation and the imaginative and prescient for his character?
Might you emphasize the necessity for a wardrobe replace that honors the calls for of his function? Typically, framing these items as being in service to the character, relatively than the actor, opens the door to a gentler, extra collaborative dialog.
Right here’s a thought—would he be extra open to an adjustment if it symbolized a brand new depth in his character? In spite of everything, perhaps his character is evolving, and some updates to his silhouette might symbolize that.
Typically, addressing a delicate matter turns into extra palatable in the event you concentrate on the bigger image of story, authenticity, and artistry. Costumes ought to assist actors inhabit their roles extra totally, proper?
In any case, it feels like you must quit on the cummerbund altogether.
Wishing you an unbroken streak of well-fitting costumes,
Remy
For Your Consideration: Ought to I Marketing campaign for an Oscar?
Expensive Remy,
After 20 years of exhausting slog on this business—and the final 8 as a director—I’m lastly inside spitting distance of an Oscar. My newest image has been tipped for nomination for the 2025 awards. I can virtually really feel the contoured glutes of that tiny golden man in my hand.
So right here’s my query: ought to I marketing campaign for the nomination I so desperately crave? You recognize the drill, Remy—monogrammed golf caddies, luxuriant bouquets, perhaps even antiques chosen to match the committee’s private aesthetics. I “unintentionally” stumble upon them at Soho Home in order that my title is on their lips, or communicate to acquaintances to place in phrase. Something to safe my place on that gilded nominations checklist.
It makes me queasy to contemplate this—I need to be nominated on my movie’s deserves, not as a result of I purchased 10 limited-edition Hermes paperweights. And but, I do know each different director in Tinseltown may have the identical concepts. Can I actually afford to not compete on this diamond-encrusted area? If it did result in Oscar success, I fear it might really feel like I’d purchased it.
Which path would you advise, Remy?
Oscar Victorious?
Expensive Oscar Victorious?,
You’re asking your self the questions that matter: is that this actually a couple of trophy, or what it might signify? It sounds such as you’re wrestling with greater than a call; you’re questioning the way you need to arrive at this second. The queasiness you are feeling may be your intestine telling you that successful at any price might rob the journey of its that means.
Is there a center path, one the place you get to share your ardour for the movie with out turning it into a company reward alternate? I think these decision-makers have closets bursting with luxurious presents, so maybe you may concentrate on creating areas the place the movie speaks for itself—a particular screening or a Q&A the place your genuine connection to the story shines by.
And right here’s a thought: in the event you didn’t marketing campaign, would you are feeling you’d let your self down or stayed true to your ideas? Possibly that’s the true measure right here—feeling integrity within the path you select, regardless of the consequence.
Keep in mind, the Oscar is only one milestone. What issues most is crossing the end line in a approach that makes you proud.
Hoping you discover your stability on this star-studded tightrope,
Remy
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Remy Blumenfeld is a veteran TV producer and founding father of Vitality Guru, which affords enterprise and profession teaching to excessive performers in media. Ship queries to: guru@vitality.guru.
Questions edited by Sarah Mills.