woman crush

I attended a screening of "Please Give" recently with a Q&A by the writer/director Nicole Holofcener.

The film is fantastic and stars some amazing female talent. (Catherine Kenner, Rebecca Hall, Amanda Peet, Ann Morgan Guilbert and Sarah Steele from "Spanglish")

Of course, the real star of the show is Nicole Holofcener. She creates such thoughtful, smart, deeply flawed, honest characters that after I finish watching her films I can't help but feel vulnerable and inspired. It's a delicious high.

She writes movies with female characters. Real female characters.

Thank God.

Look, I don't really relate to Katherine Heigl. She has to wear a bra for a late night Baskin Robbins run. (Not that she would EVER go to a 31 flavors...) I just don't know this world.

If Helen Hunt makes Jack Nicholson want to become a better man then Nicole Holofcener makes me want to make better movies.

I was fortunate enough to work with her on her film, "Friends With Money". Must admit I was terrified. First time on a film set that wasn't a friend of a friend's basement with which we only had 1/2 hour window to shoot 7 pages. You know what I'm talking about...

Nicole booked me off my taped audition. She hired 3 other friends the same way for various roles in this (estimated) $6.5M dollar picture as well. This was no accident. All four of us were working at Jeanne McCarthy Casting Office. Jeanne put us on tape for various roles and Nicole hired us. She hires interns?!  The woman has a halo people or perhaps hard work can pay off.

Or did I forget to mention my scenes were with Scott Caan and Jennifer Aniston playing the "other" woman. (It's called acting people...)

On top of that I went to an early screening at Sony where I met Charlie Kaufman and attended 2006 Sundance film festival, Crazy right?!?!?!

But more than anything else this was the film/the opportunity that I was able to take my parents to a screening of the film and see my name up on the big screen. Where my Father turned to me, pointed at my credited name and said, "See kiddo. Now you will live forever".

How can I thank someone for giving me all of these gifts?

By making movies and creating more opportunities is the only answer I can come up with. (Because I've already sent a thank you card.)

Thanks for reading...


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FACT: Woman crushes last a hell of a lot longer than any male infatuation. (Jim Sturgess, your clock is ticking. )