@theTelly
Ideas and Trends
@theTelly · 2:45

In Conversation with Celia Finkelstein

article image placeholderCelia Finkelstein
When I think about television these days, I don't know what to call it. Is it television? Is it streaming content? What do we call it? But more importantly, who is behind the scenes here, who is helping shape the future? And I don't know the answer to this

Actor, Writer, Producer, thoughtful soul - let’s get into it here on theTelly @celiafink

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@celiafink
Celia Finkelstein
@celiafink · 5:00

@DBPardes television Shakespeare actor

And it really was born out of wanting to express myself. For me, acting was a place where I didn't have to worry about what I looked like or what I was wearing, or if I said the wrong thing because there was a costume and someone had written all the words for me, and I had makeup, and I had somewhere to go on Friday night. I wasn't the lonely girl sitting at home on Friday night
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@DBPardes
Deborah Pardes
@DBPardes · 2:13

Writing as an actor? @celiafink

The Laytongue thank you for that big, really quick overview. And I guess the next question I have because this is thetelly and we're all listening in for where you are and your take on things. But through a personal lens, can you tell us a little bit about the experience of writing from the perspective of being an actor for Solar Long?
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@celiafink
Celia Finkelstein
@celiafink · 4:48

@DBPardes Shakespeare writer actor

I think where it's helped me is to really consider the way that we speak, the observation that comes from being an actor in terms of behavior or language. Those are things that show up in my writing. But I think most writers probably are also really observant and pick those things up, too. So I don't know that I'm doing anything different
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@DBPardes
Deborah Pardes
@DBPardes · 1:59

Character transformation @celiafink

We're demanding it of the writers and of the actors and directors. How are you feeling about character transformation? And how do you imbue all of your work with that sort of expectation because we're into it, man. We are so into it
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@celiafink
Celia Finkelstein
@celiafink · 4:59

@DBPardes character transformation

But streaming allows us a deeper opportunity, I think to and premium cable allows us just a deeper opportunity to really get into who these people are. And because we're watching over the course of time, the course of the season or whatever, we really get to dig into those things, and we don't have to sort of put it all on display in the first 60 minutes of the show, we can really start to reveal and Peel back those layers
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@DBPardes
Deborah Pardes
@DBPardes · 2:20

Comic relief @celiafink

It's really interesting, but I want to pick a topic now just move a little slightly towards something you intimated in your answer, which is about you don't want one note. You don't want to see somebody be fine on screen. I love how you said that. I want to talk about comedic relief when there's comic relief. These are strange times
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@celiafink
Celia Finkelstein
@celiafink · 4:18

@DBPardes

It's interesting because I I personally tend to write in the dramedy space like my my scripts all sort of live in a middle ground of, like, you know, the absurd next to the really dark. I personally many years ago went through a pretty severe mental health crisis, and truly my only way out was to make really terrible jokes. Good jokes. There were solid jokes. I'm proud of the jokes, but like dark jokes. And I think that's a very natural response
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@celiafink
Celia Finkelstein
@celiafink · 0:31

@Joylove

Hi, Joy love. I first of all, I love that name. I always love to hear kids in the background. So no worries there. And I just want to say, thank you. American Horror Story. It was one of the best jobs I've ever had. Ad one of the most fun. And I always love when people say that they watched it. And I'm so glad you're here. And I'm so glad you posted
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@theTelly
Ideas and Trends
@theTelly · 2:34

Mental health and your tummy @celiafink

And I want to understand, is there a tight rope that you walk in terms of infusing your work, with the knowledge that you have based on the fact that you were on the edge and that you had a mental health circumstance that really had gone unchecked, you would have really lost it. And thank God you didn't. And here you are, so productive and beautiful and smart and available to all of us
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@celiafink
Celia Finkelstein
@celiafink · 4:10

@DBPardes mental health

But Neil Gaiman said something about if you feel like you're walking naked down the street, if you feel like you've revealed so much that you're walking naked down the street, then you're getting close to what you need to be writing. And that's kind of what governs the way I write, which is that it should feel like it should feel like it costs you something for me
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@celiafink
Celia Finkelstein
@celiafink · 2:58

@Joylove

And so I think when we stop treating it as a character flaw or as something that happens because you're not working hard enough at being happy. That's when we start to get at really solving the problem. And I think talking about it, people talking about it in their personal lives. People really sharing how therapy may have helped them, how medication may have helped them, how exercise does help out what things they're doing to make themselves feel better to aid in their recovery
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@DBPardes
Deborah Pardes
@DBPardes · 2:37

Thank you ++ 🍿 what’s next👀 @celiafink @Joylove

You don't need a crew around you to write. It's just you and writing. And that's what's so self sustaining sometimes about writing, because you can do it. And then, of course, the other reality is that it has to get made and that's anything but self sustaining. You need a whole industry to support that next chapter, and we'll be there with you. So I want to, first of all, thank you for kind of doing this intro conversation with us
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@DBPardes
Deborah Pardes
@DBPardes · 0:13

@celiafink inquiring minds...🌱🤣❤️

Hey, Celia, it's February 16, 2021. What are you thinking about these days? Who are you going to bring on? Who are you going to talk to? What's going on with your writing? How are you inquiring minds want to know
@celiafink
Celia Finkelstein
@celiafink · 2:37

@DBPardes

I have a few friends who have worked in the animation world, a few friends who are in development similar to me, and I'm really excited to get their perspectives both sort of really entry level writers really early in their careers and mid career just to get their thoughts on inspiration and their work. I'm doing okay. I think like, a lot of people I hit a bit of a Corona wall, but I'm lucky that I have some work to focus on
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@celiafink
Celia Finkelstein
@celiafink · 3:37

@Joylove

And I think I had two thoughts while you were talking while I was listening to your swell and it was one protect yourself, you know, especially when you're struggling with depression, which I think 98% of us are schedule the news. At least that's what helps me is sort of scheduling the time that I pay attention to that stuff and like, filtering what sources
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