“PATTI CAKE$” ASKS US TO REASSESS HERO WORSHIP IN MODERN TIMES
What happens when you meet someone you admire and it’s a total bust?
Whether it’s someone you personally admire or someone who’s the object of public admiration, coming face to face with these figures is a great deal of pressure. The risk/reward of ruining the image you’ve built up of them in your mind can be hard to calculate in the moments leading up to the possible encounter. There’s a pivotal scene in the film Patti Cake$ that made me think a great deal about this.
Aspiring rapper Patricia Dombrowski aka Killa P aka Patti Cake$ has an encounter with an established rapper she idolizes. I won’t spoil the ramifications of the encounter (they’re more complicated than you think), but what it did make me wonder is: is it better to gamble on losing all respect for someone you admire or to not take the chance at all and possibly always regret not seizing the moment? I spoke with the Geremy Jasper and Danielle Macdonald, the director and star of Patti Cake$, about how if those encounters go wrong they can truly set you back. Japser cited a music video he’d made for someone who was a major inspiration for him and how it almost made him quit directing.
Aspiring rapper Patricia Dombrowski aka Killa P aka Patti Cake$ has an encounter with an established rapper she idolizes. I won’t spoil the ramifications of the encounter (they’re more complicated than you think), but what it did make me wonder is: is it better to gamble on losing all respect for someone you admire or to not take the chance at all and possibly always regret not seizing the moment? I spoke with the Geremy Jasper and Danielle Macdonald, the director and star of Patti Cake$, about how if those encounters go wrong they can truly set you back. Japser cited a music video he’d made for someone who was a major inspiration for him and how it almost made him quit directing.
That really resonated with me. I’ve had several encounters like that in the course of my career. It’s tough, particularly when we live in a culture where even our more private heroes broadcast their lives. You have a perception of someone, and particularly in the moment, it’s hard to separate the image you’ve constructed with the fact that they aren’t who you expect. That being said, I don’t think I’d take back even the negative experiences.
The immediate effects can be devastating, but the long term lessons are invaluable. At the end of the day, take the chance.
This article originally appeared on KFOG.com on September 5, 2017.