I was having some chicken for lunch today and a curious memory popped into my mind. Back when we were shooting this one Zen Film we had hired this one newly arrived to Hollywood actress for one of the central characters. She was a very nice, talented, and what I considered beautiful addition to the cast. 
 
We were on our way to shooting out in the desert. When we would shoot at that location, we would always stop at this one store that had a sandwich bar to keep our cast feed. We would let them pick out whatever they wanted. The one actress in question just wanted a piece of baked chicken at a very specific weight. We happily purchased it for her. She also asked for another piece to be eaten a couple of hours later. Of course.
 
As we got back in the car, and were driving to our location, I asked her about why she wanted such a specific amount of chicken. As it turns out, she was a stripper in Las Vegas on the weekends, and the boss of the club where she danced thought that she was a bit too heavy and he apparently told her if she wanted to keep dancing at his club she would have to lose some weight. Thus, that was her method. Okay…
 
First of all, I didn’t think she was overweight at all. But, that’s not really the point to all of this. The point is, think how many people our told what to do, how to dress, and how to behave by their boss and/or their work environment. Think about it, this occurs even in terms of being an exotic dancer.
 
FYI: It’s kind of an interesting process, at least here in the L.A. film game. A Producer or Director or Casting Director will meet a lot of actresses who can only work doing the week because on the weekends they fly to Vegas to dance. They call those Friday afternoon flights, that launch from Burbank airport to Vegas, The Stripper Express. I cannot tell you how many young ladies I have met, trying to make it in Hollywood, that follow that pattern.
 
I have met a couple of exceptional cases. One of the ladies who audition for me held an MA in Psychology. I asked her why she didn’t follow her desired path to helping people via her education. Her answer, the money. Probably at the top of this heap was a young woman who had actually gone to medical school and graduated. She held an MD degree. She didn’t go through her residency, however, but she did hold the degree. Yet, there she was in Hollywood, chasing the impossible dream of being an actress, while dancing in Vegas on the weekends. Why, I will never understand.
 
Let me state, I am not being critical of exotic dancers. I have known many of them and have offered several of them roles in my films. Personally, I never really liked strip clubs. It’s just not my thing. But, that’s just me.
 
Here’s the question, what do you do and why do you do it? I’m not only speaking about what you do to make a living, but what do you do in your life? Even more importantly, how controlled are you by the powers-that-be above you telling you what you should or should not do—what you should/must do if you hope to keep doing what you are doing?
 
Everyone, all of us, is dominated by that something in the Out There. But, in that domination, how much of it do you allow to truly control you: who you are, what you do, how you do it, and your overall life in general? How dominated are you by it?
 
I believe that for each of us, it is very important that we truly ponder what we are doing in our life and why we are doing it. And, what part of our life and our humanity do we allow to be subjugated by that something/someone out there.
 
If we do not choose our path and walk a clear road towards achieving our positive goals and truly becoming the best form of us that we can truly be, then all our life will be controlled by that something which we cannot or choose not to control but allow to control us.
 
As for that young lady, after the filming of her scenes was competed, I have no idea what happened to her. Never heard from her again. It doesn’t appear that she was ever in any more movies. But, I hope she has lived a good and prosperous life. I thought she was a very nice individual.