Tuesday, November 27, 2007 at 5:52pm
Something amazing happened to me today.
November 26th, 2007. It's the coolest thing that's happened to me since working a KVII; as cool as meeting Elie Wiesel and ballooning over Palo Duro Canyon.
Chris Gardner, the man "The Pursuit of Happyness" is about, is speaking in town here in about 30 minutes. He had a press conference today at 401 E. 2nd by the Library, Faith City Missions. It was a question and answer session for the media. Nobody had really read his book and only a handful had seen the film, sadly. I had seen and read neither, a fact I am planning on remedying, but I was aware of his accomplishments.
Towards the end I asked him "How many liberties did the film take with your story", a question I've always wanted to ask someone who a film was made about. He said that he couldn't have been happier with the turnout of the film (which wasn't quite an answer to my question), but he did say how he and Will Smith conversed constantly, and when he wanted Will to do it a certain way, he took him aside and told him exactly how. He said Will was a master of the "Jedi Mind Trick", being able to convince a whole set how he wants to do something just by sort of saying "Hey...how about this" and everyone responds "Hey...how ABOUT that....yeah..."
It was the 2nd reference Gardner made to Star Wars, a point I noticed with accuracy. The other was when after a conference of some sort about homelessness in which somebody introduced him and said a lot about something that he didn't quite agree with (I think it was something along the lines of the fact that homeless people have no help and it's not their fault), he stepped up to the mike and said something along the lines of "That's complete BS. I had a choice, and I made it." After his speech, a man with a deep voice came up to him and said "Well Chris, I'm glad you said that, cuz that was a bunch of Bull Shit."
It was James Earl Jones, and Gardner said "Well if Darth Vader said it, it must be true.
Anyways, after my question I asked him if he worked with the "author...er, writer..." and someone in the audience, I believe it was Norma with Public Relations at Amarillo College, corrected me and said "screenwriter", so I corrected myself, but moved passed my slip up because I was thinking more about the fact that I was talking to the man than about what I was actually asking him, a mistake I don't often make. Of course I know what a Screenwriter is....although I can perform in front of thousands without fear, I am still humbled by and nervous in front of greatness, or at least someone I greatly admire. However, I don't know that anyone is ever truly great.
Anyways, he went on to tell me that the screenwriter did work with him and that he's now going on to do all sorts of films and even directing, producing and writing a new film. (The screenwriter, that is.) Gardner went on to tell me how happy he was with the turnout of "The Pursuit of Happyness" and I said "That doesn't often happen in biographical pictures." He "most definitely" agreed with me.
I'm still not sure how close it is to his story, but I'll make a more accurate assumption once I've seen the film.
I stood very close to the podium and had a fantastic view of Gardner. It was like we were having a conversation, only in a room full of people.
I was also one of the first people there, and very much the first photog there....same thing happened when I met Elie Wiesel.
Here's the important part:
Chris Gardner came up to me immediately after our press conference and shook my hand, looked me in the eye and asked "Are you a film-maker?"
I answered him "I plan to be."
I told him that "It's my dream" and about how I'd done a lot of acting and I planned to write, direct, and act someday. He said "Go out and do it" and I said I most definitely would. He then said "How old are you?" and I told him 19. I told him how the closest thing to film-making here in town was acting, and "this" (I pointed at my news camera) "is the 2nd closest thing, so I'm just trying to go ahead and jump in the game." (Chris Gardner never went to college a day in his life, as he said to someone during the conference.)
He then said "What's your name?"
"Blake Talley", I replied.
"Blake Talley! ...Blake Talley. I'll be lookin for ya man, watchin your movies someday and I'll say 'I know that guy!'."
I smiled, took my camera off the tripod as joy leaped into my heart and responded "I'll give you a call, for sure."
He then left the room. I was the only person he spoke with after the conference. While I was picking up my gear and reciting what he'd said to myself in my mind, what's-her-name....Ellen, Mark Robertson-Baker II's aunt, the other PR lady at AC, asked me "Do you know him?" and I said "No....no not really" and she said "Well what did he say to you?" I said, "He just sort of talked to me about..." and I do believe I trailed off. They didn't ask me any further questions. I was on another sort of cloud, and didn't come down till...well about now, I suppose.
It was some of the most encouraging words I've ever had spoken to me, right up there with the time Billy Talley called me down during the Choir Banquet Senior Year and said, after he talked about me for a minute (he did this for all the Seniors as they came down to line up or whatever), "Blake wants to be a film-maker." And he stopped, looked up at the audience, and with a pause, said, "And you know what? ....I think he'll make it.".
Words of encouragement go a long, long way.
