Thursday, September 22, 2005

Wow! Today is my 12 year anniversary of being in the entertainment business. I have to say that it’s been an interesting ride. I’ve had many, many high points and some not so high points, but through it all I have maintained my sanity.

Thinking back to that very first Wednesday night class in Virginia Beach, VA when I met William Gregory Lee seems so long ago. By the very next week, we became somewhat of a team. I think the most important thing for us was our vision of believing we could do it and not being afraid to try. It was never, even for a moment, a question of whether we would pursue this business on a grand scale or not. Most of the class was hedging or kinda testing the waters, we chose to jump in the water with our clothes on. I don’t know if that was the best way to do it, but it’s what we did.

Looking back, that blueprint is what freed us into the world of "what could be". We were off running and know one could stop us, not even our teacher, Sylvia Harman, who wasn’t very supportive of our determination, in the beginning. She was a great teacher, but I don’t think she understood what "our" realities were. So we had to do what we had to do…..and we did it.

Since those early days, I’ve yet to work with anyone else in such a partnership, but even that didn't last too long. Greg and I stopped working so closely together after moving to New York; even though we shared a bed for 4 months in the Hell’s Kitchen section of Manhattan. THAT was a whole ‘nother story!

We remained and still are very good friends, he is making big moves here in Los Angeles as we speak. We often talk about what is happening in our respective career and it's all good stuff.

So here I sit in 2005, obviously, older and more experienced than I was in 1993. Often times I wonder what the future holds. Will I be doing this in another 2 years, 5 years, 10 years; will I go back home to Virginia and sell Cheesesteaks with my family; will I write a book and become a motivational speaker/mentor to college students and other actors embarking on a their careers as actors…….I don’t know………I really don’t know. Maybe I’ll become a Honda salesperson, get married and start making babies. Ha!! Could be, could be not. In reality, I think it’ll be combination of all of it. I really love what I do. I think I'm where I should be, doing what I should be doing, but I also know there are so many other things I want to do as well. I am a very fortunate man.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your anniversary. Life of an actor = uncertainty. But, if you love what you're doing, how could you do anything else? Based on your blog, it seems like you've really come a long way and that is very cool -- just a dream for some!

Frances Uku said...

Happy anniversary Stephon - you're an inspiration to so many.

See you out in the trenches bro!
Franny.

Stephon Fuller said...

Hey Trevor,

It's not that I don't like what I'm doing, it's that there are many other things I enjoy as well. I'll get the balance right eventually.

*S*

Stephon Fuller said...

Thanks Frances,

And yes, I will see you in the trenches!

*S*

Anonymous said...

Yeah, balance. A constant struggle for me. How come such a simple concept can be so hard to master...;-)