One-on-One: Conversations with Actors

When I was a kid I was absolutely crazy about the movies - in fact, collected autographs of my favorite actors from film and TV, starting with an 8x10 signed photo from Jack Nicholson I received in response to a fan letter (that was 29 years ago, and have been a Nicholson fan since).  And even though I myself am a published writer, and have done a bit of acting in L.A., I am still always going to be a "fan" - there are still actors and writers and comics and directors and singers and other artists out there, whose work inspires me, helps make me a better creative person ... or just plain entertains or moves me in a special way.

I believe that holds true for everyone, without exception - someone, at some time in your life, inspired you to dream.  I think even the most famous of people can still name at least one mentor who inspired their path - or kept their spirits up when times were tough (perfect example: the short subject tribute to Katharine Hepburn, recently running on Turner Classic Movies and narrated by one of her biggest fans ... Cher).  Heck, even Carol Burnett used to have her weekly guests sign her autograph book at the end of every show.

Living in L.A., I would often just run into people like Tim Curry, Diane Keaton, Richard Dreyfuss, David Boreanaz, etc. - and in doing so, learned one important thing: treat any celebrity as if they are any other fellow human being - approach them with the respect, honesty, and kindness you would anyone else.  Don't ogle, rant and rave, or act like a fool.  Just be respectful and polite.

And it is in this vein that I have been able to begin "Famous Fans" - a page devoted to brief interviews with various people in the entertainment industry (either by phone, or in person), as I ask them not only about their life and work ... but also about who inspired them; who was their "mentor" -- and what they, in turn, think of their fans.  Hopefully this page will grow and grow, and be informative as well as a source of entertaining reading, concentrating on the positive aspects of a career in "the business".  So far I've had the good fortune to interview a handful of actors who - if you don't know them now, you probably and very soon will -- but have also begun to contact some other fine actors whose thoughts I hope to include here some day, as well:  B.D. Wong, Nelson Ascencio, Boris Kodjoe, Nicholas Gonzalez, Kal Penn, and others; the list grows every day.  Hopefully this will also act as good PR for some up-and-coming actors, who can be then be seen here by the many people who visit the site (therefore gaining even more exposure).  

So enjoy, and keep checking back as the list of Famous Fans grows - to find out more about the performers you enjoy, and the performers whose work you will soon grow to enjoy ... caught here, in their own words, in this site decdicated to true fans - and those whose work they admire.

Thanks for reading!

Don