Things I Learned From Famous People

Despite living in L.A., I’ve only seen one famous person in my hometown, and it’s that guy from the Allstate commercials with the really deep voice. As anyone who follows me on Instagram knows, though, I’ve met plenty of famous people here in Cambridge and Boston, either through opportunities from The Crimson or aggressive stalking. Here are the most important life lessons they’ve taught me.

The Airborne Toxic Event: People around the world are surprisingly similar.

Lead singer Mikel Jollett said he noticed one constant when he was touring: “We’ve played all these different places. Some people love their kids. Some people love their dogs. They generally like each other. The people are the same.”

The Cast of “The Cabin in the Woods”: Be passionate about your job (like Joss Whedon).

Actor Kristen Connolly on working with director Joss Whedon: “He was just so excited. He’d be like, ‘Can we do it again? That was perfect, but let’s just do it again for fun.’”

Kristin Chenoweth: Don’t let rejection get to you.

The hilarious, pint-sized triple threat gave me this gem about dealing with rejection: “I call my friends up and dissect it to death.… Rejection is a part of my business and a part of life. Let yourself go get a Frosty. Spend the day being pissed. And then move the fuck on.”

Will Forte: Keep the people who care about you close and don’t let anyone take advantage of you.

In Forte’s newest movie, “Nebraska,” his character is confronted by a number of people who want part of his father’s fortune. When I asked him if there were any people like that in his life he said, “I have a wonderful family. I’m pretty good about picking my friends. There are [other] people in your life who try to take advantage of you and are one-sided friends. If you have friends like that, you can easily get rid of them.”

And finally:

Tina Fey: Your time is important—be respectful but assertive.

Tina Fey is one of my biggest role models. Was I disappointed when I met her my freshman year and wasn’t able to squeak out anything remotely resembling human speech? Yes. Was I also disappointed that the only words she said were, “Are you guys going to be in this too? Because I’m only gonna do this once,” to my friends after I stood next to her for a picture? Yes. But looking back, I can see it from her perspective. You owe it to yourself to demand what you think you deserve. No one else is going to do it for you.

—Staff writer Aaron H. Aceves is the outgoing Blog Editor.