I recently saw a story on CBS Sunday Morning (one of my favs which means I’ve officially become my parents) about the actor Andrew McCarthy who was an overnight success in the ’80s.
I discovered Andrew in the movie Pretty in Pink and developed a mild teenage crush. I mean, he had amazing blue eyes AND was sensitive. Andrew had starred in Class and St. Elmo’s Fire where he became associated with The Brat Pack, and then went on to do more movies including Mannequin, Less Than Zero, and Weekend at Bernie’s.
And your point is...?
Well, it turns out that Andrew’s success happened so quickly and at such a young age that he felt like a big imposter.
(Not to the overnight success thing, but definitely to feeling like an imposter)
During the CBS interview, Andrew references being at the Paramount Pictures 75th year Anniversary gathering and talks about how inferior he felt to all of the other actors and actresses at the event.
He points out that Tom Cruise wore a red sweater and posed in the second row, in the center, looking totally confident and at home.
“Wow, I just never was that guy. I could never in a million years have been in that red sweater standing in that second row”
-Andrew McCarthy
And when he says this during the interview my crush is immediately rekindled because I can totally relate.
I could never have been the popular kid who spoke up in class or cracked jokes in the cafeteria.
I could never have worn anything that drew attention to myself and had a huge collection of black and dark-colored clothing. It just felt safer.
And I certainly wouldn’t have put myself in the center of anything. I’m much more of a peripheral kind of gal.
Andrew totally gets me.
- I don’t need to be the center of attention and have learned how to successfully interact with others. We are all different and not everyone likes the spotlight.
- I’ve built strong people skills and strengthened my body language know-how as a way of connecting with others.
- My confidence has grown with experience, knowledge, and practice.
- And I can be my true self even if that means I’ve had to learn confidence and still have insecurities.
At the end of the interview, Andrew says it best when he states,
“I did just fine with who I was and who I am. It’s okay. I did just fine.”
Embracing our true selves, insecurities and all give us hope. We can learn how to show up in a “red sweater” when, and if we need to, while still honoring our authentic selves.
We are and will be, just fine.
Your co-pilot (who will definitely be watching Pretty in Pink this weekend and crushing on an 80’s actor),
P.S.
Are you a “red sweater” or “black jacket” kind of person? I’d love to know! There’s no right way and we can all learn from one another.