The Writer's Life 7/20 - Rejection

Here's a list of famous entertainers who were not dissuaded by brutal rejections, gleaned from listverse.com, edited heavily by yours truly. The original piece was written by Garry Pullman: When Boy George made his desire to become a musician known to his career counselor, the adviser laughed in his face and suggested he consider working in a factory... Following his audition for admission to the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Gary Oldman was told he couldn't act and should seek another career... Most Hollywood talent evaluators told Arnold Schwarzenegger his hope of transitioning from bodybuilding into acting was a pipe dream given the three strikes already against him: accent, overly developed body, unpronounceable name... In the 1960's Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood were fired on the same day. Eastwood was terminated because of his looks. Reynolds said: “They told him his Adam’s apple stuck out too far, he talked too slow and he had to get that chipped tooth fixed.” When Reynolds asked why he was fired, he was told: “You can’t act.” As the canned duo left the premises, Reynolds told Eastwood: “You’re in a hell of a lot of trouble. I’ll eventually learn to act. You’ll never get rid of that Adam’s apple!”... When Sidney Poitier auditioned for his first role in a play, the director told him: “Why don’t you stop wasting people’s time and go out and become a dishwasher or something?”... The individual who evaluated Fred Astaire's first screen test said: “Can’t act. Can’t sing. Balding. Can dance a little.”... When Brad Pitt auditioned for a part in The Accused (1988), starring Jodie Foster, his performance elicited “three seconds of silence” followed by the question: “Have you ever thought about acting classes?”... After an audition, Elvis Presley was told not to give up his job as a truck driver - because he was “never going to make it as a singer.” And the rest is history.

My thanks to the young mom who didn't reject me, who bought three works of non-fiction, among them Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, and Walking the Weight Off for Dummies. I was lucky she didn't leave in a huff. When I pointed out one of Suzanne Summers' diet books, she looked me in the eye and said: "I'm not fat." In the business, that's what's called a faux pas. Thanks also to Ludmilla, who bought a book in Russian. She's working part time selling organic supplements. She gave me the hard sell, pulling out charts that showed how much she and her recruits had earned recently. I rejected her as gently as possible, saying I'd rather sell books. Undeterred, she said to ask for her card when I'm ready. My thanks also to the Jewish Meals on Wheels lady, who gave me two dinners, one of which I just had, some kind of sausage mix and veggies that wasn't bad. I'll have the other for lunch tomorrow. The heat was brutal. Fortunately, the old Hyundai was only 15 yards away. Unfortunately, I had to move it for the Alternate Side regulation. If I don't get it close tomorrow, I might not set up shop. It's supposed to be another scorcher. I hate doing it, but I have to make concessions to age.
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