Research Everything
Let me tell you guys something that happened recently:
I’ve been watching GQ interviews about actors and their ‘iconic’ roles (a debatable word, but okay). One of the ones I watched not long ago was Cillian Murphy, best known for his work as the Scarecrow in the Nolan Batman trilogy and Mr. Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders among other things. As a theatre person, I really enjoy learning about the process some actors have for acting, what people are like on set, and some behind the scenes info. It’s fun for me.
Well, I mentioned to a friend, let’s call them Danny, that I really enjoyed hearing Cillian’s natural Irish accent. Rather than agree or even disagree, they just state that Cillian’s a weird guy and that he’s a heavy alcoholic. First of all, that wasn’t where the conversation was going, and that’s an issue to bring up another time. Second, that information doesn’t sound…correct.
So, I researched.
I look into IMDB, Wikipedia, various interviews, and a bunch of articles, and I found nothing. What I did find was that Cillian Murphy prefers a quiet, non-fame life, he doesn’t take pics with fans but would prefer a handshake and a chat, he hikes and runs, he’s vegetarian (well, he was until he did Peaky Blinders), he drinks the occasional beer (he is Irish after all), he’s been married for 17 years with two sons, and he’s active in charity work. If he is an alcoholic and needed rehab, it was quiet and no one in the public would’ve known that, much less Danny. Nothing about him seems ‘weird’. But, after all, aren’t we all weird?
Where did my friend get their information?
Once I finished, I brought this to my friend, in which they said they must have been thinking of someone else. We had a good conversation about it, and I have no ill-thought to Danny. But I want to talk a little more about the importance of doing your own research.
With me, and I think with everyone, research comes first before accusation and judgement. I don’t want to base fact on something I can look up for myself. And not just when it comes to actors, but with everything else. Someone told you about a world event? Look it up and see what’s happening. That’s how I found out about the Indian Strike. Political beliefs? Definitely look into facts before choosing one way or another. That’s how I was able to determine my vote. You saw some scandalous musician gossip on TikTok? Read up on it so you know you can correctly ‘cancel’ a person and not support them. That’s how I learned to stay away from certain celebrities.
Am I saying to agree with everything? No. Gather an opinion from facts first. I don’t agree with everything I look into. Honestly, nor should you. If we operated on fact alone, we’d be so cold. Opinions second, facts first (in my opinion, lol).
It never hurts to look it up for yourself, and Google is free.
Research the tracks and maps before you jump on the train. Because you might end up going the wrong direction.
And now I know what to do if I ever meet Cillian Murphy in public.
The Last Empress of Russia
One of the things I constantly preach is about learning new things. And my blog has been mostly about learning about self, which is super important as well so no regrets! I thought it was time to teach you guys something you may not know about.
Lately I’ve been reminded of my work and research that was put into learning about the last Empress of Russia, Alexandra Feodorovna (known as Alix). She was painted with unfavorable light due to the family’s relationship with Rasputin and the fall of Imperial Russia. Here’s some stuff you may not know about her.
-her grandmother was Queen Victoria of Great Britain
-she had a firm and independent stance on marriage, which was rare/unheard of in the late 1800s. it was considered unfeminine or unnatural
-French was the language of the Russian court, and when she would learn/practice the courtiers would laugh at her efforts and criticize her
-she had an excessive focus, borderline unhealthy fixation, on how her home was run
-under Alix’s patronage, 85 hospitals around Petrograd were operating within the first four months of WWI. She and her older daughter even trained to become surgical nurses
-she disliked crowds, and always sought isolation and quiet
-obsessive about having something to do, and without a job she felt useless
-strongly empathetic, to the point where she could be counted on to get up out of her sickbed in response to others’ needs
-loved her family. This is a bit odd to add, however she was seen as ‘wasting her time’ when she was looking after her daughters whose ‘existence were of no use to the Russian empire’. She adored all her kids
-as well, she and her husband had a very loving relationship
-and now, allow me to tell you my favorite story I found, told by Princess Obolensky. While on one of their ships, they struck a rock which left a hole in the hull and it was sinking. Alix saw to the safety of the family and staff, mobilized everyone’s efforts, and managed to salvage the valuables from the cabins. Forgetting herself (she was the last woman to leave the ship) and caught up entirely in the peril of the moment, Alix had ‘acted as one born to command’
And that’s all I’ll give you now. She was a fascinating woman, and I was actually thrilled to learn more about her, even if she was a tragic character of history.
Whatever interests you, learn of it.
Alexandra TG 