“Whatever you do, don’t look in that box.”
“OK.” And then I don’t look. End of scene.
CUT! Wait, what’s going on here? That’s not supposed to be the end of the scene. That’s not how it works in film and on stage; there’s no tension with that. No, you’re supposed to devote a lot of attention to the box, tie yourself in knots, and think, Oh my God, what could possibly be in there? I know I was told not to look, but I have to know. The intrigue is eating me alive. That’s the setup. Then, of course, you look inside the box, and the action and problems begin.
Or not. I was told not to look, ostensibly for a good reason, so I don’t. I respect the requestor’s judgment. In addition, whatever is in the box is probably not that interesting. Or there’s something about the contents that I’m better off not being privy to. Or the contents involve someone else’s personal problems, which I have no interest in being a part of.
More succinctly, I don’t care what’s in the box. There are better things to expend my psychological energy on. More likely, my response will be: “Can we just get rid of it, so we’re not adding to that pile of stuff?”
Another classic: “If I tell you something, you have to promise not to tell anyone else, OK? You have to promise.” Even though this person was most likely given the same directive, broke their pledge, and now, with no hint of irony, is asking me to faithfully maintain secrecy.
“OK.” And then I don’t tell anyone.
CUT! EVERYBODY TAKE FIVE! What are you doing here? Why are you going off script? Doesn’t that make it more difficult for you?
No, not really. It’s usually a combination of the following: I don’t know the person involved very well, the secret isn’t that juicy, and I don’t know anyone else who would be remotely interested in that information. My underwhelmed reaction to the secret sharer is typically, “That’s it? Who cares?” Why would I waste my breath passing that on? That’s not even worth remembering. Hell, I have a hard enough time remembering things that are important. Yes, your secret is safe with me. Mostly because I don’t care and will forget within a few days, due to extreme indifference.
OK, EVERYONE BACK ON STAGE! AND BRING IN THE UNDERSTUDY!
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