Why all these male inspirations, but no female? The answer is an interesting one.
Skylar Astin
"He's a master at throwing lines in and I throw physical things in. He's really good at like little comments at the end. And they they make it better, it's like little buttons." - Marcia Gay Harden, costar on So Help Me Todd - Oct. 2022 Interview on CBS Mornings
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marcia-gay-harden-so-help-me-todd/
"He's so funny. He has such a quick brain. I think he really understands my sense of humor and he's gotten really good at knowing what's going to make me fall over." - Jane Levy, costar on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist - May 2020 NBC Interview on NBC.com
Dylan O'Brien
"Oh, the video is burned into my brain. So funny and hilarious. He was really down to go there and create a character. He was super down for it. He loved the idea of transforming with the tattoos and shaved, blonde hair." - Quinn Shephard, writer and director of Not Okay - July 2022 Interview on Chatting with B
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=735756257712035
"I saw Dylan a month ago. And there is still the same group chat that we started in 2013. It's still going now. I think one of the things that makes The Maze Runner so successful, at it's heart, it's promoting friendship and love. You get this genuine charisma exuding from everyone. In particular, Dylan and I. We got on particularly well. It works very well for our characters. Thank God. It'd be very hard to make these movies if we didn't like one another." - Thomas Brodie Sangster, costar in The Maze Runner trilogy - July 2022 Interview at FR Conventions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TC15TjNXEs
Jeremy Jordan
"I remember calling my producing partner, Larry Mark - who had such an extraordinary experience and knowledge in the musical theatre world. I said 'Who's the greatest male Broadway star, right now? Who can capture that audience for 2 1/2 hours?' And - Jeremy Jordan. We had dinner. We arranged a secret read through of the whole script and, uh, greatest decision I ever made in my life." - Tim Bogart, writer and director of Spinning Gold - June 2022 Interview with Deadline
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TathsrvzsE0&t=2s
"We met when I did a few episodes of Supergirl awhile back. I really liked him and that was another reason I jumped on board. We became really close and we discovered that we both love doing escape rooms." Yael Grobglas, costar on Hanukkah on Rye - December 2022 Interview with Steve Gidlow on MediaVillage.com
Joshua Jackson
"What was always cool for me was how quickly he snapped into character from joking around. He's a super funny guy. We'd all be telling jokes. Right up until they called 'Action' , he'd still be making people laugh. Then flip immediately into character and it was really cool". - Gavin Lewis, costar on Little Fires Everywhere - April 2020 Interview with Abbie Bernstein on AssignmentX.com
"He's intense when the cameras are rolling. But in between the takes, he would make jokes and do things to the pretend bodies that we were working on that were quite humorous." - Christian Slater, costar on Doctor Death - July 2021 Interview with Dewey Singleton on awardswatch.com
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXI4tNrL6UY
Andrew Garfield
"The short answer is, I'd seen him live on stage. I saw him in Angels in America. I watched him tear his ribcage open as Pryor for 8 hours and I just thought 'That guy can do anything.' He was the greatest gift a first time director could as for because he just gives you everything he's got." - Lin Manuel Miranda, director of Tick Tick Boom - February 2022 Interview with E! Insider Lavern Cox
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9POtKWJTwwY
"I have just the deepest respect for his passion and commitment to the work. He's a real artist at what he does. And uh, he just throws his whole heart into it. And, um, it's great to work with that." - Gil Birmingham, costar on Under The Banner of Heaven - April 2022 Interview with Ash Crossan of ScreenRant
https://screenrant.com/under-banner-heaven-andrew-garfield-gil-birmingham/
Jensen Ackles
"He arrived and had such an elevated game. I think that he connectionally inspired others around him to lift their game. And he was just a real - real pleasure to have on set. And he fit right in, immediately. He just became one of the family." - Karl Urban, costar on The Boys - June 2022 Rotten Tomatoes Interview with Jacqueline Coley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq7U_8SNasw
"And I'd heard nothing but raving from people who worked with him - what an amazing guy he was, what a professional he was. I can't say enough good things about him. He walks on set and it changes." - Elwood Reid, Producer of Big Sky - September 2022 Interview with Dan Seddon for Digital Spy
https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a41306699/big-sky-season-3-jensen-ackles-role-teased/
I have been thinking about this quite a bit, lately. It has not escaped me that the actors that inspire and move me the most are all male. I have really been thinking about why that is.
As I rewatch some of my favorite works by these men - Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, Pitch Perfect (Skylar), Teen Wolf, The Maze Runner (Dylan), Smash, Mix Up in the Mediterranean (Jeremy), Dawsons Creek, Shutter (Josh), Under the Banner of Heaven, Tick Tick Boom (Andrew), Supernatural, Ten Inch Hero (Jensen) - it hit me that I relate to their characters far more than any of the female characters.
These characters are tough with a hidden heart of gold. They have a deep romantic, loving side that they try to hide behind sarcasm and being the funny yet intelligent one. They have been through trauma that keeps them guarded and unwilling to speak what they really feel.
They also embody what I would love to find in a partner. Someone a bit rough and jaded, but with a romantic soul. Someone like me.
You hear this 'opposites attract' stuff everywhere. While that is a very real thing for many people, it's not for me. I've done the opposite thing and they were all disasters. I want someone that I have things in common with, that understands me, and that I understand. Someone that loves Geek/Nerd stuff and music and singing and dancing and good movies and tv shows.
And the actors, themselves - the talent, the heart, the soul, the awe-inspiring power of just how good they are at what they do - leaves me breathless.
Honestly, when I am watching anything that they are in, I am glued to my television. I cannot take my eyes off of them. I am so entranced by their talent, I become a part of the story. These guys can pull me into what they are trying to tell in ways that other actors just can't.
And, if I am being completely honest, the actors are very much my 'type' when it comes to men. They are all tall- ranging between 5'10 to 6'2. They all have brown hair and brown or green eyes. They're all bearded - not shaggy beards, but that sexy light scruff. They walk that perfect line between geek and well built - muscular without overdoing it. They all love music.
I have this thing where I refer to these men as 'so pretty' and 'beautiful'. Terms normally reserved for women, I know. But the terms usually used for men - handsome, good-looking, just do not seem to be enough. Skylar, Dylan, Jeremy, Joshua, Andrew, and Jensen are beyond that. To me, they are absolutely beautiful.
I'm not sure why this is. I just know - when I am watching them work, or listening to them give an interview, or watching behind the scenes footage and gag reels and seeing them being so loving and silly with their cast members - there is just something so pure and beautiful about them. There is something inside of them that shines through, that calls out to me.
While I love many female actors, I have yet to find any that makes me feel like these guys do.
It's not even a romantic thing. Yes, they are all extremely attractive men. Yes, they define my type of guy. But I have not reached a level of crazy where I think that I am in love with any of them.
Jeremy, Joshua, and Jensen are all married to fabulous, gorgeous, talented actresses that I admire and respect. It is actually a dream of mine to write the play/musical/movie that Jeremy and Ashley will star in, together.
I don't know if Skylar, Dylan, and Andrew are dating or not. There are rumors, of course, but I don't pay attention to those. It is of no concern to me or any of my business. I can say, whatever is going on in their personal lives, I hope they are happy. When or if they want the world to know, it will come directly from them.
I have a dream that I will, one day, write something that all of these men will star in, together. Which is funny because one of the books I am working on all have characters inspired by each of them.
I often wonder how weirded out would these guys be if they knew just how much they influence and inspire me. The effect their work has on me. Would they find it creepy? Flattering? Would they even care?
I actually got a chance to have a brief interaction with Jeremy back in February, thanks to Cameo. Through that, I was able to send him a message telling him how much his work has inspired me since 2012. I even told him about my dream to be a writer and to write for him and Ashley. The video response I got was absolutely beautiful and heartfelt. It makes me cry - in a good way - every time I watch it. And I am not a crier.
This video coupled with every other interview and social media post I have seen from Jeremy, tells me that he is a celebrity that truly appreciates his fans and loves knowing how much he means to us. He loves interacting - when it is done respectfully, of course.
I have also had a few interactions with Skylar on Twitter. I have seen him interact with other fans, there. Again, when we are being respectful, he is open to interacting. This indicates that he, also, appreciates his fans and knowing that we appreciate his talent and his work.
The other 4 are harder to decipher.
Joshua and Jensen, while they do have social media, are hardly on it. Mostly, they use it to promote whatever they are working on and do not read comments or messages or tags.
Dylan has a Twitter but - outside a brief tweet in December - has not used it in almost a year.
Andrew does not have Social Media, at all.
And, as I have said many times, I do not blame them in the least. I am intelligent and compassionate enough to know that, just because they do not do Social Media, it does not mean they do not appreciate their fans. Or want to know that we appreciate them.
I have seen many interviews with all 4 of them, and many videos from different Cons and out & about where they are talking to and laughing with fans and enjoying themselves.
That all indicates that they are most likely open to fan interactions of a respectful and non-threatening nature. But if they aren't, I totally get it.
Whatever it is about these talented and inspirational guys, maybe I will understand it, someday. Maybe when I get to work with some of them, it will make sense.
Until then, I will continue to enjoy their shows, movies, music, interviews, and what they continue to choose to share with the world. And I will continue to allow my creative mind and soul to be inspired and moved by their power, talent, and aura.
Originally posted on March 11, 2023
UPDATE - Not a lot to really update, here. These guys continue to be my biggest inspirations and influence. I continue to be in absolute awe of them. I continue to search for female actors that have the same effects on me. And I continue to work toward the goal that I will, someday, write for them.
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