My "Oscar" Inspiration

The 89th Annual Academy Awards had a theme of inspiration. Between various categories, different actors/actresses would describe an onscreen portrayal that inspired them, and that actor would present with the actor that inspired them. I'm not a professional actress (or really a professional anything), but for this post, I would like to discuss a portrayal that I long to have express my gratitude for just as Javier Bardem did for Meryl Streep. Though this portrayal was a TV movie with no Oscar nominations, I had the video cassette, so I still count it as a motion picture, and I still find the same kind of "Oscar inspiration" nonetheless 😊.

With my senses being (for lack of a better term) overwhelmed in the most delicate situations as a kid (due to my special needs), I admired movies with the most tangible satisfaction. In the 1999 TV movie version of Annie, there were many details big and small that my 3-year-old brain would be emotionally satisfied by: the brushes used to scrub the floors of the orphanage, the snow globe in Daddy Warbucks's office, Lily St. Regis's pretty pink wardrobe–the list could go on and on. All of these itty bitty details came into play, but the most dynamic part of this movie was Rooster. The biggest detail that captured my heart most as a kid was none other than Alan Cumming's portrayal of Rooster. If you want to witness the outstanding energy of this performance, observe:

He enters the scene at 1:00, but you can get a whole sense of the contrast he brings in the whole clip.

As a kid, I LONGED to possess the colorful energy of Rooster. He was charming and conniving, and that's what made me have that soft spot for the bad guy. At four years old, I would do all of his choreography and blocking. Alan Cumming painted the very first picture of quality stage performance in a film that I've ever seen. It was almost like my first Broadway experience. This actor inspired a thespian in the sensationally overwhelmed little dancer that I was.

I am currently reading Alan Cumming's memoir, Not My Father's Son, and there are aspects to Alan's life that are dark and haunting, but there is plenty that he has learned to appreciate about his character. For example, he describes how his personality has been backward from his age. He felt forced to toughen up and keep to himself as a child, but as he grew up, he found his childlike qualities and grew to embrace them. Despite the many struggles he had to overcome in his life, I am grateful that he has given all of his audiences (including me) the gift of his shameless, frolicky self.

Alan Cumming, your performance blessed my life with the gift of art. Never have I seen such a wonder as you. Bless you with the same amount of boisterous love as between you, Kristin Chenoweth, and Tommy Tune at the Tony's. For all that it's worth, you are and forever will be my Oscar inspiration. 💕