Teen Reporter Delivers the Best Steve Martin Interview You'll Ever Read
There are officially two Steve Martins in my brain, Steve Martin A, who appears in films like The Pink Panther 2 and Steve Martin B, the writer/talk show guest who chases the taste of Steve Martin A's movies like ginger ale after bad tequila.
Leave it to Andrew S. of Teen Ink Magazine to show entertainment reporters how to bring the best Steve Martin B to the fore. The comedian comes across as exceptionally gracious and thoughtful. Two highlights from a Q&A thick with wisdom:
Q. Many teens have already experienced tragedy or major difficulties in their lives. What would you consider your biggest challenge or regret?
A. Well, I haven’t had any major tragedies, fortunately. I think probably the most difficult challenge was just the climb and rise in show business because I went through my entire twenties with some success as a comedy writer but not much as a performer. And you have to be kind of informed and naive at the same time. You have to be naive about how badly you are doing because if you were smart about it, you would quit. So the most difficult thing was to have perseverance.Q. After all these years in the limelight, how do you deal with critics?
A. I was very vulnerable to criticism for many years. I could read a bad review and remember it my whole life. One day, in the early ’90s, my play was opening for the third time in Chicago. This free press paper gave it a terrible, terrible review, saying, “It’s horrible this type of play gets put on and keeps other good writers from getting their play put on.” And I looked at the review and thought, You know what? I wrote a play and he wrote a review and that’s the difference between us. And I was never bothered by it again.
Do yourself a favor and visit the entire interview on Teen Ink Magazine. Yes, Teen Ink. Even if it makes you feel dirty.
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