A Precious Memory of My Father

Dear Reader,

Peace and blessings!

I want to introduce you to someone special—my father. I’m thankful for all the good he’s done for our family and the Ethiopian community. May God accept his good deeds. It’s an honor to know him well.

I remember him visiting me in New York over a summer when I was in college. We ate lunch at a Japanese restaurant together in Manhattan. He had a business meeting that afternoon. I was so happy to see him. I want to share with you something he said.

It makes me smile to recall this. I ate wasabi, directly ingested it, and it made my eyes tear up. I pretended I was crying to entertain my dad and he said, “Is that how you make your movies?” What a classic line! I love Daddy!! He sliced and diced, picked apart my motivation as an actress.

He spent so much money for me to study film (cinema) at Yale. I learned a lot AND I’ve made some movies. I prefer to write and do theater/perform poetry than be seen on camera. But I have great respect for acting!

Did you know that some actors use “emotional or sense memory” to produce tears in their eyes when on set or stage in a theatrical production? So, if I’m playing the role of a victim and my character is supposed to cry, I, as an actor, will think back to a time in real life when I cried (a sad moment, like losing a pet) and through making the connection, tears will flow (lacrimation) AND I will convince my audience that I’m sad.

Don’t hold actors in contempt. We all have memories to draw from. May we use the past to inspire the future.

With love,

Yeru (Eli)