The scent of jasmine that hung outside my private bungalow at Chateau Marmont was almost too magnificent to believe, and as I zipped up the back of the H&M dress I was going to try to pass off as vintage Norma Kamali, I inhaled deeply, taking it all in. In an hour or so, I would be walking the red carpet for the premiere of "The Incredible Hulk," a summer blockbuster in which I had a leading role. This premiere was without a doubt an important event for me – a high-profile shout-out for a decade worth of dedication to a career that historically sports more downs than ups. There would be photographs, “live from the carpet” interviews, and parties afterward. Roots colored, cleavage cradled in La Perla, and false eyelashes the MAC gal had applied earlier, lush and curled to perfection. (Sidebar: not the $250.00 a lash, real mink perfection sported by Madonna and J.Lo, but the $25.00 a pair, very-best-MAC- has to offer kind. Hey…good enough for me!) I was proud of what I had accomplished, and thrilled to be able to share the experience with the people I loved. I couldn’t have felt more beautiful.
Cut to: Me, earlier tonight. Dried oatmeal in unwashed hair, a nursing bra large enough to house a small litter of newborn kittens, and lashes that just might require those mink falsies in order to regain any semblance of presentability. And...I couldn’t have felt more beautiful.
Our son Ravi Alexander Cabot-Conyers is now 9 months old. Everyday is filled with to-the-bone exhaustion and oodles upon oodles of belly-laughs. There is a tacit understanding that no matter the depth of challenges faced, this life-long commitment to parenting another human will most surely bring the sweetest brand of satisfaction and joy. Well, I’ve always been up for a good challenge (Did I mention I make my living as an actor?), and I’m a sucker for joy. Since the little guy joined the party, the lens with which I view this world has been unequivocally altered in the most profound and prolific of ways. Will it change the way I approach the work I do with myself and others? I'm kinda hoping it does!
Well, we’ll just have to see. For now…straight ahead.
Well, we’ll just have to see. For now…straight ahead.
They are our teachers :-)
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