Lucky

For the last few years I worked on One Life to Live, there was an actor named Sean Ringgold who played a character named, well, Shaun.  Shaun went from being a few day incidental character to part of the show's core.  Why?  Was his character super-interesting?  Sure.  But what I saw was more than just a good character.  There was not a single day that Sean the actor came to the studio not grateful for the work and excited for every new challenge the writers and directors threw at him.  Whether called upon to play his bodyguard side (he was a BIG guy) or be a big brother (turned out to be uncle--this was a soap, after all!) to his teenage sister, he gave it his all.

I was fortunate enough to direct him quoting Shakespeare in a steam room (no, you didn't misread that), and I will never forget how he embraced the oddness of the situation and played it for all it was worth.

So why am I writing about Sean?  I think about him often, and what he brought to the mix every day.  Sometimes we need to be reminded how lucky we are for every opportunity we are given, for every group of collaborators who help us to be better, for every idea that becomes great because we are willing to take a risk.  And sometimes it takes someone like Sean to remind us.

Thanks, Sean.