Teen Ink

Life on the stage is perhaps the most volatile endeavor one can undertake. From personal experience I can attest to how difficult it is being in front of an audience. All eyes are fixed on you, and you have to be in the moment, living organically – believing in the truth of the story you are telling. I also know that comedy, be it written or performed, is the most difficult medium to master. It requires a ­degree of fearlessness that few possess: you must be comfortable with yourself to the point that, should a joke fall flat, you have the resilience to continue creating, to continue dwelling in the reality of a scene or story.

I admire individuals who pursue what they want in life, especially when the feats they wish to realize appear to them as obscure, intangible dreams.

Steve Martin is such a man, leading a life that is worthy of his childhood aspirations. He is very gifted at what he does: writing, acting, and improvising all in the name of humor, of providing us with a brief escape from the stresses of everyday life. For over three decades, he’s survived in an industry where fame is known to be as fleeting as a camera flash, all the while maintaining his integrity as an artist and growing as a performer and human being.

In speaking with Mr. Martin, I sensed that he is an individual very much grounded in what’s important – life in the limelight has not pol­luted his sensibilities. He can still recall being a struggling comic, and that mentality has remained with him for his entire career. Cracking an occasional joke, Steve Martin clearly showed that comedy permeates all facets of his existence – it is part of both his professional and personal life.

What perhaps struck me most about Mr. Martin was how he views himself: with resolute confidence in his work. In talking about a negative review he received for a play he had written, it was clear that he can handle the acidity of an occasional bad review, put it on a shelf, and move forward – and maybe that’s why he’s been able to persist while so many of his contemporaries have fallen by the pop-culture wayside.

I asked Mr. Martin, “Does comedy help you better understand human nature?” He responded that acting has helped him in everyday life to know when people are being genuine, and – at the risk of sounding like Holden Caulfield – when they are being phony. Words of wisdom from a man who in all probability is the most genuine comedic voice of his generation.