This is me.
Picture this. There is a blue sky, a few clouds dotted across it. This cuts to the outside of a nuclear power-plant which overlooks the town square, where two delinquent teenagers are sawing the head off of a statue of an esteemed figure (who is actually a pirate). This statue head falls onto a strange child who is attempting to eat an ice cream. The shot then tracks through town, innocent bakeries, nerdy comic-book stores, the ice-cream store where, I believe, the aforementioned child purchased his and strangely, a statue of a chubby man holding a giant donut. As we continue, there is a gag on a billboard outside an elementary school, perhaps relating to current affairs. Into the school we go through a side window. There is a boy there, writing onto a chalkboard as a punishment. The boy is quite literally ‘saved by the bell’ and he makes a run for it, flying out into the street on his skateboard, past the janitor of the school and a drunk who is buried under a stack of leaves. Suddenly, a pink family sedan drifts into the garage of a detached, suburban family house. The skateboarding boy skims the top of the car and skates into the house. A balding, fat man gets out of the family car, narrowly avoiding a young girl, who has books and a saxophone attached to her bike. The man walks towards his house when he is hit by an orange station wagon. He falls back, smashing through the garage door and into the house. Finally, a comedic gag takes place involving the family couch.
If you haven’t yet realised, that was a detailed analysis of the condensed entrance theme to my favourite television show of all time – ‘The Simpsons’. So what does an American long-running cartoon show have to do with me? Well, all of my favourite hobbies or talents all relate back to this one show.
Comedy/Acting
The thespian side of me has been around since as long as I can remember. Part of me attributes this to my writer/director father, but another part of me agrees that the inspiration for my comedic stage presence stems from endless hours of watching ‘The Simpsons’ in my formative years. Homer’s silliness, Bart’s humour, Lisa’s wit, Marge’s logic and, of course, Maggie’s adorableness are all present in my acting ability. Often, my dad would tell me to take note of how the animated characters would react as they taught hyperbole and physicality! (Also, I realise this section is me, blowing my own trumpet… or saxophone, should I say?)
Scriptwriting/Story-Telling
The thespian side of me has been around since as long as I can remember. Part of me attributes this to my writer/director father, but another part of me agrees that the inspiration for my comedic stage presence stems from endless hours of watching ‘The Simpsons’ in my formative years. Homer’s silliness, Bart’s humour, Lisa’s wit, Marge’s logic and, of course, Maggie’s adorableness are all present in my acting ability. Often, my dad would tell me to take note of how the animated characters would react as they taught hyperbole and physicality! (Also, I realise this section is me, blowing my own trumpet… or saxophone, should I say?)
Drawing/Art
This one is more of a hobby. I have always loved to draw. I find it to be incredibly relaxing. As a child, my dad used to buy many canvases (both for himself and myself). The first thing I remember ever drawing and painting onto canvas is a family portrait of ‘The Simpson’ family. It was terribly drawn and the colouring was completely off, but nevertheless, I cherished it on my wall until I turned 18, at which point it was replaced by posters of my favourite scantily dressed DC villains.
Voices/Accents
Going hand in hand with the acting part of me, part of me has always wanted to be a voice actor. I have always been interested in the way people speak and how to imitate them, which is one of the reasons I chose to do English Language and Linguistics at University. Seeing the famous voice actors who voice ‘The Simpson’ family on ‘Inside the Actors Studio’, which aired in 2003, inspired me to want to do more with my voice. To this day, accents and imitations have always been a part of me, even if the only character from the show I can imitate is ‘Fat Tony’.
Lastly, Donald Glover
Who is Donald Glover? He is one of my favourite actors AND one of my favourite artists. Under his stage name ‘Childish Gambino’, he is a multi-Grammy nominated artist, but it is his rise to fame which inspires me the most. In High-School, Glover was voted “Most Likely To Write For The Simpsons”. Glover wrote a few spec scripts for ‘The Simpsons’ which gained the attention of the producers of the popular American sitcom ‘30 Rock’, for which Glover wrote for a few years, occasionally featuring in it. He later starred in Community, and movies such as The Martian, the upcoming ‘Spider-Man – Homecoming’, as well as being cast as Lando Calrissian in the new Han Solo movie. The man is living the dream and it all began with his love for ‘The Simpsons’.
