Has anyone ever met a *nice* Joanna Gleason? — Page 3

Based on some of the descriptions described by people who have met Ms. Gleason, it sounds like she's just introverted.

Some of the misconceptions of introverts are that they are unfriendly, shy, withdrawn, and don't like people.

The fact of the matter is being around people is overstimulating to introverts. Their energy is drained in crowds. They may like people very much, but after talking to anyone, they usually begin to feel the need to take a break.

Other notable introverts: Diane Sawyer, Harrison Ford, Laura Bush, Candice Bergen, Steve Martin, Michele Pfeifer, & Gwyneth Paltrow.

There's a good book called The Introvert Advantage if you want to learn more about this type of temperament.



The Introvert Advantage

When I saw The Normal Heart last summer, my friend and I waited inside the main lobby to meet Raúl Esparza because it was raining outside. We were talking to him when Joanna came out, so we didn't get to see her, but she did stop to talk to a small group of people who were waiting inside for her, and it looked as though she was perfectly friendly - signed autographs, etc. Perhaps it's just something as simple as the size of the crowd.

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Updated On: 7/31/05 at 08:32 PM

I just read the first post on this thread...normally I read the entire thing before I respond, but...

I've worked with her and she is one of the most charming and lovely people I have met. She is very reserved and a total professional.

Now, I'm going to go back and see if anyone bashed her....

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I'll Give her this. She is very talented!!!!!!!

"If she doesn't like the attention then she shouldn't be a performer, or marry a famous actor."

That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard...

Shouldn't she be congratulated for her devotion to her craft and NOT the fame?? She loves to act but doesn't want the screaming fans... I think she should be applaued.

And also that comment about marrying a famous actor... ridiculous. If you love someone you're NOT going to be like, p.s., I don't want to marry you bc you're famous! Sorry! Let's go our seperate ways!

What a ridiculous comment to make.

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Agreed, Bella. That struck me as being pretty bizarre when I read it, too.

I've been thinking about this whole concept and it occurred to me that it's related to a whole bigger issue. We have become invested, as a culture, with having complete and total access to the minute details and most private moments in the lives of celebrities. A byproduct has been that some of the celebrities perceive themselves to have been endowed with authority over anything on which they wish to comment (think Tom Cruise, for instance). I know I'm straying off topic a tad here, but I do think that indirectly there's a relationship. Things play out a little differently when one talks about Broadway actors because the arena of interest is less universal across the county, but it's still related.

But back to my original point, which is that having access to all this information and gossip via message boards, internet gossip sites, and whatever else is out there, has given us a false sense of being "in the know". It is easier now than it ever was for speculation and innuendo to morph into "fact". It's not an easy age in which to have a "public" career while still living a private life.

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I met Joanna last year at THE NORMAL HEART. She was walking outside the theatre as my mother and I were going back in, so I went over and congratulated her on the performance and would she mind signing my Playbill. She did and we spoke for a few minutes and then she tried to get a cab and I went to meet the other actors inside.

She's actually quite sweet if you get the chance to meet her. She's always been one of my favorite theatre actors.

Had to comment after tonight.
She's incredibly nice. I was shocked at how friendly she was after hearing about her. The whole cast of DRS is VERY nice, anyway.

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Yup.

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Like others have said, the only obligation a performer has is on the stage. Really. This thread has gone into creepy territory.

Updated On: 8/6/05 at 12:55 AM

I only saw DRS so I could see he live onstage. Having only seen her on TV, in the movies and on the Into the Woods DVD I still love her. After the show I walked up to the stage door to wait for her to get her to sign my Playbill. And as I got there I thought, "I just saw Joanna Gleason live. An autograph can't top that"! And I turned around and walked over to one of my favorite bars in NYC, had a few drinks and just smiled inside because I finally got to see her live. I have collected a few autographs over the years but with her it was just fine not getting one.

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I am mystified by the business of waiting for performers at the stage door.

Is the performer your friend? If so, then arrange to have drinks and dinner at a little boite far from the madding crowd. If they are not a friend, why do you want to chat with them? What do you have to say to them, and why do they have to listen? They have not, by choosing to be a performer, surrendered their right to their private time and their private lives. They did their job on stage and if you enjoyed the performance, you clapped. If you REALLY enjoyed the performance you clapped and stood up. If you REALLY REALLY enjoyed the performance, perhaps you made a "whoop" -ing sound as well. When they perform again, you will buy tickets and perhaps the cast recording. This is the measure of your devotion.

The notion that someone "loves" Joanna Gleason--without knowing her--is preposterous. You have, presumably, loved their interpretation of a playwright's words as directed by a director and in interaction with other performers. Her "nice"-ness seems irrelevant and not provable by the way she responds to a crowd of autograph hounds.

And what about those autographs anyway? What does that get you? Is it to add monetary value to your Playbill? And how is THAT Joanna Gleason's responsibility?

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More often than not, one hears NICE things about actors' offstage personas. But it's true, I have never heard one positive thing about Gleason as a person. I have heard she is absolute POISON to work with, that she is negative and dismissive and obsessed with her own power as a "star." She is, in short, someone I would actively seek NOT to work with.