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Imagine having a wardrobe malfunction just before it is your turn to make a presentation. Now imagine having this moment live streamed to 18.7 million people across the globe and your audience being who’s who of Hollywood. So how would you handle this situation when the eyes of the world and the high and mighty in the film industry are on you? Last weekend, as we held our breath anticipating who would take home the golden statue of their acting prowess in the Best Actress category, Emma Stone not just gave us a lesson in humility but also a masterclass on how to not let a mishap deter you from confidently striding onto the stage and deliver a heartwarming, impassioned note.
Before we begin dissecting the incident and learning lessons from it, let us take a moment to congratulate the winners and the nominees! Personally, I think we all should petition the Academy to add another category fashioned after the Palm Dog Award because Snoop (played by Messi), the adorable Border Collie from Anatomy of a Fall, deserved an award. He trained for over two months for a scene where he plays dead and was the goodest boy at the nominees luncheon, sending the fellow nominees in a tizzy that the ball of floof, fur and talent is earning an unfair advantage for the movie. Yes, this is soon becoming a Justice For Messi post and while I do not see anything wrong with extolling the virtues of Messi as an actor, let us get back to examining Emma and how she handled the moment of mishap with admirable grace and confidence.
While for most of us,having a wardrobe malfunction publicly would set our anxieties off the roof, imagine having one while the world watches on, everybody is glammed up to the max and you are awarded the highest honour for your acting skills. If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, here is how you handle it a-la-Ms Stone style.
She acknowledged that there was a problem. She opened her speech with : My dress is broken. This honest, human moment earned her ice-breaker, hearty laughter from the audience who laughed at this ‘along with her’. It also made her appear more relatable. Who amongst us has not encountered unprecedented unforeseen roadblocks (remember how the projectors, printers and all technical equipment sense our fear and stop working when we need them the most?).
Such an early acknowledgement also ensured that the issue was covered, spoken about and she could move on to other things.
Know your peers. She continued her acceptance speech by appreciating the past winners of the category and her fellow nominees, naming each of them, expressing her respect for them. Acknowledging and respecting the talent, skill and craft of your contemporaries is a move that can turn your competitors to collaborators and champions.
Repeating this : Be honest, human and humble. Ofcourse, at a moment like this, it is but natural to have a lot going through your mind as you stand on the stage with the spotlight on you, Emma kept it real, acknowledging that she is feeling a little panicky but went on to share the insight from director Yorgos Lanthimos: to "take yourself out of it.And he was right, because it’s not about me. It’s about a team that came together to make something greater than the sum of its parts.” She thanked the crew, her team, and everyone who worked on the film as it is a collaborative team effort.
Ta-da! So there you go, now if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, you have a blueprint to navigate it and come out looking like an absolute crowd favourite. Remind yourself that the best of us find ourselves in such sticky situations and it is alright. Everyone will remember how you rose to the occasion and made the best out of it.
P.S. Now that we are done taking lessons of conduct, communication and confidence, let us go back to discussing more important things, which movies will Messi be featuring in next? Is he keen on Hollywood? How does he feel about pet parents breaking the treats into half? Does he like snow?
P.P.S. You can be cool, but you can never be ‘Messi-sporting-a-bow tie-and-posing-for-the-shutterbugs-at-the-oscars-cool’
