Fade to Gray: Luke Perry’s work ethic
Luke Perry died but you already knew that didn’t you? I know you know because you couldn’t pick up a newspaper or turn to a social media page without seeing his photo from the one-time hit TV show 90210. That’s how the world knew Luke Perry, that’s why they loved him and that’s how they mourned him. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
In the days that followed, the stories shifted to his health and the sad fact that he died of a stroke at only 52 years of age. TV stations talked to medical experts and put the stroke warning signs on the air offering tips on how to respond to a stroke should the symptoms strike. Watching it I thought, “I’ll bet Luke Perry just saved lives in how he died.”
What I didn’t see in any of the articles was a tribute to Perry’s unrelenting work ethic when he decided at 19 years of age that he wanted to be an actor. Perry wasn’t born into it like some kids are. He also didn’t grow up in L.A. or New York City so he was nowhere near a movie set or sound stage. What he decided to do is worth talking about and there’s a lesson in it for any young person who may happen upon this column.
Perry was the son of a steel worker in Ohio and decided after high school he wanted to be an actor. That meant travelling to the west and east coasts and trying to break through an impenetrable wall. His real first name by the way was Coy but he went with Luke instead. Funny, I think Coy Perry sounds more like a movie star. Anyway, Luke got an agent, no doubt because of his ridiculously good looks, and started going to auditions.
I have a friend who was a successful actor and he told me auditions are as grueling as they are humiliating. Based on what he told me, Luke Perry would have taken time away from his fulltime job, gotten on a subway and schlepped across New York City to a high rise. After climbing the stairs or riding the elevator, he’d find a non-descript room where fifty other guys who looked just like him would be sitting on uncomfortable chairs waiting their turn.
Perry would sit with the others for an hour, reciting the lines in his head, waiting for his big chance. When they finally called him in, someone holding a clipboard who barely looked up would announce five seconds into his audition, “Thank you… next.”
That happened to Perry 215 times before he got his first part. Most people would have quit after a dozen experiences like that, certainly a hundred, but he went to 215 auditions before someone said, “yes” and gave him a cheesy TV commercial.
I admire successful people and whenever I can I like to read about how they got where they are. Without a doubt it doesn’t matter what the career is, or if they are white, black, Jewish or protestant; the story is always the same. It did not come easy as people assume and they simply chose not to give up. Every time they were told no they kept trying until they got the yes.
Milton Hershey, the guy who makes those candy bars you enjoy so much, started his first candy business in Philadelphia in 1876 when he was only 18 years old. It failed. Jump ahead to 1883 and he finds himself in New York City where he starts his second candy business. It also fails.
It wasn’t until the third time, with more experience and financial backing, that his sweet dream of a candy empire took root and grew. If he stops after the first debacle you wouldn’t be eating Hershey kisses today.
Spend any time in a book store and you’ll find dozens of stories just like Hershey and Luke Perry. I grew up a huge Stephen King and he could have literally papered the walls of his home with the rejection letters he received for all his early work. It’s funny, once he had a few best-sellers under his belt all the stories he wrote years earlier that no one wanted were suddenly brilliant in the eyes of the publishing world. Everybody loves you once you’re on top I guess.
One of my favorite quotes is, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” Some credit Thomas Jefferson with coming up with that turn of phrase, others believe movie producer Samuel Goldwyn deserves the credit. Whomever said it first, it certainly rings true. Show me a success story and I’ll show you someone who refused to give up.
So Luke Perry died and all everyone could talk about was a ZIP code in California. Truth was the most impressive thing that handsome kid ever did was what he did before he became a star. Those 215 subway rides and flights of stairs and hearing, “Thank you… next,” over and over again. That took guts and tenacity. I hope he rests in peace. Lord knows he earned it. John Gray is a news anchor on WXXA-Fox TV 23 and ABC’S WTEN News Channel 10. His column is published every Wednesday. Email him at johngray@fox23news.com.