“I Followed My Bliss to Bankruptcy—What I Wish I Knew Before I Moved to Hollywood” by T.R. Locke

T.R. Locke presents a vulnerable and humorous honesty that is rare. With all the talk these days that following one’s bliss is the key to happiness, Locke takes and spins the concept on its head revealing how there’s more to getting to that happiness than many expect. Yet, he manages to do that while holding fast to the idea that following that bliss is still the key to a fulfilling life.

The book is divided in three parts. The first is autobiographical. Locke takes a couple chapters to detail how the events of his life lead him to having dreams of becoming a Hollywood screenwriter. His success in other fields did little to quell a sense of pointlessness in his life. He decided to take a chance on his dreams. Once in Hollywood, success seemed to come fairly easily. But what appeared to be an open door turned out to be the entrance to a series of mazes that wound round for years. During that time, Locke learned the lessons he calls “WIKs” for things as he puts it, “I Wish I Knew.”

It is in these WIKs that Locke’s humor shines brightest. Right from start WIK #1 declares, “The Competition is a Mother~#$&%!” The insight Locke offers in this chapter is that the world has amazingly talented people populating it and many of the best migrate to Hollywood. Though humorous in its presentation, the insight is poignant and compelling when he compares doing a scene in a movie with Mark Wahlberg to stepping on a basketball with LeBron James. His point is that seekers of dreams in Hollywood had better bring their “A” games and take the work very seriously.

Throughout the rest of these WIKs, the author shares his hilarious and painful experiences with outrageous movie producers and agents. He details the joy of acceptance and pain of rejection of his screenplays, his experiences auditioning, acting, and meeting stars. He even shares one encounter with the president of Brad Pitt’s production company that finally pushed him over the edge and into a pit of despair that almost ruined his marriage. The fact that Locke manages to teach deep, helpful truths on this emotional roller coaster while at times being laugh-out-loud funny is a testament to his skill as a writer.

Locke reserves the final section of this book for interviews with some of Hollywood’s elite. Interestingly, he chooses not to reveal the celebrity’s names in order to gain a more honest insight into their struggle. Hats off to Locke as it would have doubtlessly been more financially and commercially advantageous to himself to fill this book with these celebrities’ names. If there is a flaw, it’s that inquiring minds want to know. However, despite that slight disappointment, the omission seems to achieve the author’s goal—a raw type of honesty from obvious insiders who have had to overcome numerous obstacles on their way to successful careers. The information they share is startlingly more honest than other celebrity interviews I’ve read.

Locke concludes that, despite disappointments and even bankruptcy, the pursuit of dreams is still the key to a satisfying life. This book should be required reading for every performing arts program in the country. Readers will save untold dollars, pains and frustrations by standing on these experts’ shoulders.  It is required reading for anyone looking to learn more about Hollywood before they go (or before they give up on their dreams and leave Hollywood). For those with no Hollywood aspirations, this book satisfies on a literary level and reminds us that dreams of any kind are worth the struggle.

* * * * * (Five Stars)

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