I know there are people who “fan girl” or “fan boy” all over some actor or actress. This isn’t exactly that. It is more a tale of growing on people for both writers and actors. When you commit the mortal sin of visiting the Amazon Web site imdb.com and search for Piper Perabo you will find a much longer list of credits than I had any clue about. While I haven’t seen “Coyote Ugly” in many years it wasn’t until I saw the cover image shown on the link that I knew she was in it.
Herein lies the myth of the “break out” role or novel. While many can crunch the numbers to “prove” such things exist, they don’t exist in a vacuum. Keep in mind I am absolutely wretched with names. I need a face and a voice. Some people didn’t like the fact I abbreviated John Smith as JS: and Susan Krowley as SK: in my most recent novel, but it really helped. A good many readers did what was expected, they forgot _who_ the characters were and focused on the story. Sometimes the story is much more important than the “who.” From time to time I hear (usually read) people repeat quotes from it or quotes of things it quoted.
When I scrolled through the list of things Piper has been in I remembered seeing quite a few of them but didn’t really remember her. This is not a comment on her acting but a comment on human perception all writers and actors need to be aware of. On Saturday Night Live and in marketing (which is pretty much what that show has been about the last few decades) it is called a “catch phrase.” That is really too base a definition but that isn’t surprising given the level of the show and marketing. The other half of marketing, those fake news shows like Fox and CNN, call it a “sound bite.” That little sub 3 second snippet which can be spun and spun and spun.
All of the preceding definitions and names are the most vulgar interpretations of something which can otherwise be beautiful.
You’re a better man than I Gunga Din.
Millenials hear that line and have no idea what people are talking about. Sad, but true. If you are of a certain age you know it from one or more of the following ways:
- you read the book which contained the poem
- you saw a black and white movie
- you watched the Mr. Magoo version of it
Yes, there was a time when cartoon makers tried to bring classic literature and culture to children. The ones we had were all black and white but I see there are color versions now.
The point is that those of us “too old” all remember the line and the lesson even if we don’t remember the details of the story. A writer can some times sculpt a story to a single line which seers itself into the cultural memory, but it is a difficult task. If you start a story with that intent you tend to butcher the story by keeping too much of your focus on the goal instead of the journey.
Actors have even less control over that one line than writers. Yes, a great many ad libs go on to become catch phrases, but, when they do that they are no longer associated with actor or the story. You probably remember some of the catch phrases from SNL, but do you really remember the actor(s) who created them?
For me, what made me remember Piper Perabo was her role in an episode of “House.” She had one of those side story roles the show was famous for because it had “the clinic” as a vehicle to bring them in. Piper was this easy on the eyes, incredibly nice sandal wearing militant vegan. The juxtaposition given to the character was incredible. When House informs her the boyfriend cheated on her she is okay with him sleeping with another woman. After House explains “fat floats” and that the boyfriend had snuck out for a hamburger she went off. Other women fine, hamburger bad, House is intrigued. The line which made me remember her though came at the end of the show when House met her in a bar where they drank hot green tea.
Still, with all of the drugs and whoring you can’t be that miserable.
The delivery of the line was perfect and the reaction of House sold it even more. I thought at the time “I hope to see more of this girl!” A short time later (I was watching re-runs of House as I didn’t see most of the show when it first aired) I saw an ad for “Covert Affairs” and recognized the actress. It became one of my favorite shows. Sadly, it is no longer on the air.
Yes, I’m sure many of you will point out that 12 year old me is very unhappy with 50+ year old me, but, what made me like Piper as an actress wasn’t any of her nude or love scenes, it was the fact she could act, delivering a line perfectly both in tone and body language. Writers and actors do not get to choose the one thing which brings people in to become part of their “platform.” If we venture into different media the platform may not follow.
I do hope that someone finally writes Piper a decent script. I haven’t watched the short lived series “Notorious” but the reviews say it wasn’t the acting that brought it down.
