Wives with Money: A Lesson From Danny Moder
“No woman marries for money; they are all clever enough, before marrying a millionaire, to fall in love with him first.” — Cesare Pavese
On Friday, we saw Friends with Money and it contained plenty of material for a week full of financial posts. In case you don’t read Entertainment Weekly or watch television, Friends with Money is the new Jennifer Aniston movie where she plays a maid with financially fine friends: Catherine Keener, Frances McDormand and Joan Cusack. As you might guess, the film is about money and if it buys happiness.
I liked the movie, but my discovery in reading the credits and the conversation it sparked with Jeanine on the ride home might make for the better post. I said to her, “Did you notice that Danny Moder worked on this film?” Danny Moder is the guy that married Julia Roberts and was, and as I discovered in the credits, still is a camera operator.
He has all the money in the world by the mere fact that he married one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood and yet he chooses to continue working and working as a cameraman.
Jeanine’s response was, “Maybe he likes his work?” and I responded, “Well, okay, but if he’s not working for money, then wouldn’t you think he’d aspire to something bigger like director or cinematographer or at minimum, fund and create his own films?”
Does anyone find his choice to continue working, as a camera operator, odd? Maybe the bigger question isn’t about marrying money since for me; it was never really an option. Instead, maybe the question is about why we work?
Alyse Hart, a corporate exit strategist and agent for change, writes, “In America, hard work offers a medal of honor; it’s the antidote to depression and low self-esteem. And it promises that financial success will erase whatever ails you. It’s not completely true.”
Po Bronson wrote an article in Fast Company entitled, “What Should I Do With My Life” and why money will not fund dreams. He writes, “The ruling assumption is that money is the shortest route to freedom. Absurdly, that strategy is cast as the ‘practical approach.’ But in truth, the opposite is true. The shortest route to the good life involves building the confidence that you can live happily within your means (whatever the means provided by the choices that are truly acceptable to you turn out to be).”
Okay, so Danny’s means were improved by marrying Julia Roberts. If he’s happy being a camera operator, then I shouldn’t knock it, right? I’m still struggling though with this line of thought. Oh well, it’s only Monday. I have the entire workweek to figure it out.
A camera operator is a very technical position, one that requires knowledge of camera ops, composition and mechanics. It does not necessarily denote creativity with regards to writing, editing, directing. It’s the difference between a car mechanic and a car designer. I think my mechanic could design a great engine, but would the body of the car be aesthetically pleasing?
I’m guessing that Mr. Moder is happiest behind the camera, executing the director’s vision, and content to be known as Julia’s Husband vs. That Camera Guy-Turned-Producer Who Thinks He Can Do Anything Because He Married A Movie Star.