Please, Don't Tell Me You're 'Blessed'

I recently interviewed an actor who apologized for failing to convey his "passion" for acting. "Passion" is one of the most overused words in the English language today. It's not unlike "awesome," both words evoking an overwrought state of mind, not to mention a limited vocabulary. Actors are by no means the only ones guilty of this. But it seems prevalent among theatre/film folk.

Another actor's word that has regrettably crept into mainstream usage is "centered." So too has "in the moment." It's not that these trendy catch-phrases are misused. They're meaningless. Is "centered" another way of saying "grounded" or "at peace" or, perhaps a little bit of both? Is "in the moment" the current lexicography for "present"?

But my favorite pet peeve is the actor—or indeed, anyone—who tells you he has been "Blessed" because his career (romance, whatever) has jelled mightily. Why not just "lucky"? At least that implies some element of randomness. "Blessed" suggests Divine intervention. How dare anyone say it? If I'm "Blessed"—tapped by God—that also means you're not.

As for the actor who worried he had not been forthright enough about his "passion" for acting--that was an oddball since it had no bearing on the story I was writing or the questions I had asked him. But somewhere along the way he bought into the notion that "passion" was a selling point. Unfortunately, in some circles it is.

-- Simi Horwitz