Great Circle

When you think of a great character actor, who comes to mind? For me it’s Johnny Depp.

Just think about the differences in his roles as Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands, Mort Rainey (Secret Window), Spencer Armacost (The Astronaut’s Wife) … and of course – Willy Wonka! Now, compare him with someone like Bruce Willis.

Willis almost exclusively plays the “burnout cop/criminal/taxi-driver/soldier on the verge of losing everything who finds his inner nobility and saves the day.” That’s basically his role in every movie he’s starred in.

Human beings are more like Depp than Willis in that we often change roles depending on the situation we’re in and the needs we have at the time. What roles do you play? And which serve you well? Which don’t? It’s helpful to become both aware of them and intentional about which are most responsible and helpful for certain contexts.

Personally, I know that when I play the “He-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed” role with my older son, he automatically puts on his “Lawyer” (“let-me-show-you-the-error-in-your-reasoning-and-or-syntax”) role! There follows an escalating argument in which no one wins.

However when I change roles in my head to “Mentor” or “Coach”, the lad can’t play the Lawyer role – it doesn’t make sense. The two “scripts” don’t match. So he inevitably reverts to a more open-minded and co-operative role.

Which role do you play in job interviews? “Charity case” or “Worthy Prospect”?

Which role do you play in family dynamics? “Victim”, “Cheer Squad”, “Rescue Ranger”, “Self-Defined Adult”, “Spoiled Child”?

Which role do you play professionally? …..

You get the drift.

Try some different roles in problemic situations and see how it changes the “script”, the dynamic, the response of others, your own feelings and perspective.

Oh, and you might like to try this link for fun to find out which Depp role most suits you: depp-quiz.

Apparently, i most resemble Willy Wonka!!??! Hmmm…..