E.C. Authors David Licata and Rolando Teco recently embarked on an extended conversation on the subject of fame. Here's their first exchange:
DL: So Roland, recently you had the chance to interview one of the most important painters of the second half of the twentieth century, David Hockney. Can you tell me, were you nervous about meeting him, and when you did meet him, were you star-struck? Follow up: Did you have certain expectations and were those met, dashed or other?
RT: Well, it's funny because I've met lots of very famous people before and I was never very nervous about it. I guess I've seen enough of how burdensome fame can be for stars that instead of being intimidated by them I tend to feel worried for them or protective or something. But with Hockney, it was different, I think because I'm so in awe of his work and also because I wanted something from him, i.e. a good interview. So I did get nervous. Surprisingly so. And then he was so charming and amusing that I completely got caught up in the interview and forgot my worries. But before he walked in the room I was petrified, as I imagine you could see, since you were there working with me.
Now a question for you, David:
Do you feel as though because you're a filmmaker you are expected to be more aware of celebrities -- who they are, what they've done, etc. etc. -- by friends and acquaintances? Do you ever find yourself consciously rebelling against the general obsession with celebrities in our culture, and actively turning off your eyes and ears to this stuff?
Also, you had the interesting experience of working with an actress (Ellen Pompeo) long before she became famous while she was a typical struggling NY actress. Do you ever look back in retrospect at the experience of working with her and wonder if you could have predicted her meteoric rise? Also, does the fact of her fame affect the way people view your short film? Are people now able to watch the film as a film or do they just see a very famous celebrity in a much younger/greener version of herself?
(to be continued...)
