Well obviously it sucks when two people you have known for a very long time split up. Jenna Fischer of The Office and her director husband James Gunn have split up after six years of marriage. I admit that I'm closer to Jenna than to James simply because I knew Jenna before she even met James. But, over time each person becomes your friend and it feels like when they divorce you have to make a decision, and that's not really fair.
This choosing sides is even more relevant in Hollywood, especially when both people are in the industry. It's one thing if you live in anytown USA and you get invited somewhere by one of them. There is going to rarely be conflict which forces you to choose one or the other. In LA though we are very incestuous and we like to work with people we have known for many years and who we trust for the most part. You are always going to call the same people over and over and you are always going to try and get your friends work.
It's very possible that both James and Jenna could want to work with you on something at the same time and you will have to choose. Once you pick, the other will look for someone else to replace you...permanently. So do you choose based on friendship, or do you choose based on who is going to give you the best work, or do you just take the easy out and decide not to work with either of them to avoid offending?
That last choice works great until they decide to get back together and hate you because it becomes about the fact that you didn't want to work with either of them and now they don't want to work with you. In Hollywood, friends, loves, and work are all intertwined. When Tom and Nicole and Brad and Jen got divorced don't you remember that awkward first year when all their projects which were in production got finished and they had to do publicity and red carpet appearances for the projects they had been working on together. They always say they will continue working together and it always lasts just as long as the last project already in the pipeline. Then it's like the company never existed and the people who worked for the couple have to make a decision. Who you going to work with now and who are you going to piss off forever?
I was bummed to hear this but Jenna seems like the type of person who bounces back quickly
ReplyDeleteAnswer: go with the talent. Only you can decide which one that is.
ReplyDeleteactually, I would say, choose the one you are better friends with.
ReplyDeleteThis situation isn't about money, otherwise, it wouldn't matter that they split up. It's a business thing, so you keep working business as usual, divorced or not.
Clearly that's not the case. There is a very important and intertwined social dimension to working in Hollywood. And because they were friends, it's a hard choice.
So clearly you go with the closer friend. Only thing that makes sense.
Just make sure you keep it amiable with both, and after all, true loyalty in friendship is a rare virtue.