Do you ever have a very clear idea of who a person is, only to have that perception dashed by someone else’s viewpoint?
I’m not talking about those who behave differently around their superiors. My old boss had the emotional maturity of an autistic seven year old with Asperger syndrome. When his bosses were around, he was as amiable and professional as one could be, but once the UPM or whoever left, he’d turn around and take his frustration at them out on us PAs.
Anyway, that’s not what I’m talking about. I’ll give you an example.
There’s a writer on our staff who has been nothing but nice to me. Smiles, remembers my name, even read a script of mine. By all accounts, he’s not only a lovely person, but a hard worker, too.
Except, not really all accounts. I just found out today that he emotionally manipulates his boss, and treats his coworkers with disdain. (Or, at least, he has, until recently. I’m told he’s getting better.)
As I said a long time ago, I believe the truest test of a person is how you treat those you don’t have to treat well.
As a PA, no one has to treat me well, so I’ve always assumed I’m in the perfect position to see who is truly nice, and who’s just a suck up. It turns out, there’s a third possibility– maybe they just don’t consider me a threat.
Then again, perhaps I shouldn’t change my opinion so readily. Maybe one day, we’ll both be staffed on the same show, and then I’ll see how he treats me.
4 Responses
Can you describe how the process went with the writer reading your script? Did you ask or did he offer? How well did you know him? How long did it take for him to get back to you? Did he offer you notes? Were you hoping for an agent referral?