In the following, quoted from the screenplay of Secretary by Stephen Shainberg, Gray, a lawyer, speaks kindly to Lee, his shy and troubled personal assistant.
LEE HOLLOWAY: Are you shy?
EDWARD GRAY: I'm shy.
LEE HOLLOWAY: You're not shy. You're a lawyer.
EDWARD GRAY: I'm shy. I overcome my shyness... in order to get things done.
LEE HOLLOWAY: I don't think you're shy.
What I so love about this excerpt is the way both points-of-view are so beautifully revealed. It's obvious to most viewers of Secretary, I think, that both characters are painfully shy in their own way. Lee's shyness is clear to the outside world - she's a young woman who cuts herself, can barely hold a gaze. Edward Gray, a self-employed lawyer, has had to tackle his shyness.
I too, overcome my shyness. It's how I'm able to live in the world.
The discussion between these two characters is deeply compassionate, especially on the part of the writer. A shy man teaching a desperately shy woman how to carry on is moving -- especially when, at this point in the story, she doesn't recognise his own mammoth efforts.
People often tell me, "You're not shy," but they don't yet understand. Baby, I'm shy as hell. Maybe that's why I write.
You may be shy, but you're lovely and not at all awkward, which is probably why people are surprised that you might be shy....Shyness is exactly why I became a journalist. I love people, but don't know how to approach them unless I'm clutching a notebook full of questions. A friend once described me as a shy extrovert, to which he added, "That must suck!" Hey, Sue, does one have to audition for this Art2Art thing?
Posted by: Carmen | March 25, 2009 at 11:16 AM
Carmen, thanks for writing such kind things! So nice to hear. Maybe a lot of us who write are secretly rather shy.
As for Art2Art, no you don't have to audition. Just let me know you'd like to come along and read/perform. I think we're out of slots for the coming salon, but there's always next time. It would be *wonderful* both to see you and to hear you read your stellar work!
Posted by: Sue | March 25, 2009 at 11:25 AM