Life Advice from Natalie Morales
Every other Monday, AMC Theatres has a mystery movie night called Screen Unseen. At a discounted price of $8 (normal ticket price is about $20), AMC shows the audience an unreleased film before the official premiere date. I kept seeing promotions for it on the app for the longest time and one Monday I had nothing to do and decided to go. Entering the theatre auditorium that was showing it, I was surprised that room was almost 3/4th full. Watching movies has been a little hobby aside from work and my street photography for almost a year but now very curious what I’ve been missing out with this Screen Unseen nights.
They showed the usual trailers and then greeted (on screen) by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, the director for that nights Screen Unseen film My Dead Friend Zoe. It’s different from other films depicting a veteran dealing with PTSD. It’s serious but some dark comedy throughout. It’s still one of my favorite films I watched this year and highly recommend to go out and see it.
I was so impressed by the film that the next following days I began digging up interviews around the web and came upon an interview with the supporting actress, Natalie Morales, who, as I was reading had participated in almost every aspect of the filmmaking process.
“I think you really have to bet on yourself. That’s advice I’d give to anyone, no matter what path they’re on. This is your only life. You only get to do this once. Spend your time working towards what you want, what you want your life to look like. If you want your life to be on a farm somewhere, work towards that. Don’t do what your parents told you to do, or what society says you should do if that’s not what you want. So many people wake up when they’re in their forties, fifties, sixties, or even eighties, and think, “What did I do with my life?” It’s because they did what someone else wanted, not what they really wanted. You’ve got to bet on yourself. Ask yourself, If I had a bunch of money or time, would I invest in myself? Would I do the things I’m passionate about? Sometimes that means taking a risk on yourself.
I had a really bad breakup once and moved out of the house I shared with that person. I didn’t have a ton of money, but the house I was in had a yard for my dog and a beautiful view of the horizon. I thought, I’ll be so depressed if I move into a one-bedroom apartment without a yard and without a view. So I decided to take a risk. I thought, even if I didn’t work for a while, I could afford the lease for one year. If I could get this little house with a nice view and a yard, it would make me happier every day. And it worked. That year, I got so much more work. It was crazy.
I’m not saying it’s always going to work, but I calculated that if it didn’t work, I’d move out after a year. But if I could make myself happy for that year, I thought it would have a better effect on my life. And it did. In general, I think a lot of people are afraid to take risks, even though they’re well-intentioned. They warn creative people, saying, “Something bad might happen.” Which is true, it might. But you need a little bit of delusion to take a risk on yourself, especially if you’re young, don’t have kids, and can sleep on the floor. If you need to go for it, really go for it. And even if you’re older and have responsibilities, it’s never too late to do what’s in your heart. If your brain is thinking about it, you’re already on the path to figuring it out.”
