Brandon Stanton's Blog, page 436

"I’m an actor.""How has being an actor differed from your...

"I’m an actor."
"How has being an actor differed from your initial expectations?"
"Well, I think everyone decides to become an actor from a place of love. But when it becomes your job, there’s an adjustment, because suddenly you are in competition with other people for your livelihood. And some people can’t handle it. I’ve been lucky enough to find work my entire life. But I’ve seen a lot of talented people who weren’t so lucky." 
"So what separates you from the talented people who weren’t able to find work?"
"I’ve always been very driven. I’ve seen many talented people fail because they aren’t driven. In school, they were able to win roles because of their talent. But you reach a point where talent isn’t enough to compete. Because as you progress, you’re eventually going to run up against people who are both talented and driven."

"I’m a big fat nerd.""What’s one thing that makes...

"I’m a big fat nerd."
"What’s one thing that makes you a nerd?"
"Dude, I’ve been working renaissance fairs for 25 years, my hobby is making swords and daggers, and the patches on my jacket are from a science fiction novel."

"I always tell my daughters to work with their head, so they...

"I always tell my daughters to work with their head, so they don’t have to work with their back." 
"Which did you do?"
"What does it look like to you?"

"The Russians run an underground fighting league in Coney Island...

"The Russians run an underground fighting league in Coney Island where they pay junkies to fight. I fought about fifty fights for them. They pay you $200 win or lose. They’d always make sure I was real doped up before the fight. I mean they weren’t good people but it did make me feel kinda important to have all those gangsters cheering for me. And they’d always be really happy if I won, because that meant I’d made them money."

"Facebook is telling me that everyone has a house, a kid, and a...

"Facebook is telling me that everyone has a house, a kid, and a dog. So I’m just trying to calm the fuck down."

"My wife gets upset when I don’t answer her text messages....

"My wife gets upset when I don’t answer her text messages. Sometimes I’ll be at work, and I’ll get a text, but then I’ll forget about it. And I’ll remember it when I’m almost home, and try to answer it really quickly before I walk in the door. But it’s too late."

"If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of...

"If you could give one piece of advice to a large group of people, what would it be?"
"I’m a retired professor. Every time I’ve spoken to a large group of people, hardly anyone was listening."

"The band broke up. It was a shit show. But we found some new...

"The band broke up. It was a shit show. But we found some new people. And you know what? The band’s even fucking better now."

"I’m feeling masculine today."

"I’m feeling masculine today."

"I spend my time doing other people’s stuff. I don’t...

"I spend my time doing other people’s stuff. I don’t have time to do my own stuff. And if I have the time, I don’t have the energy."
"So what would you do if you had the time?"
"I’ve always wanted to make a children’s book."
"What would it be about?"
"It’d be about this boy who’s waiting on a train to come into the station, and he announces to everybody that when the train comes, it’s going to be on the ceiling. And then the train does come in on the ceiling. And he’s got to figure out how to get it down."