Junod has stated that his encounter with Rogers changed his perspective on life. But the script insists, "it's not really about Mr. Rogers." It is, the viewer discovers, about Esquire staff reporter Lloyd Vogel, played here by Welshman Matthew Rhys. TJ: Okay, so theres that scene in the beginning of the movie where hes zipping up his sweater. This content is imported from youTube. This boy had a very bad case of cerebral palsy, and when he was still a little boy, some of the people entrusted to take care of him took advantage of him instead and did things to him that made him think that he was a very bad little boy, because only a bad little boy would have to live with the things he had to live with. Look at usI've just met you, but I'm investing in who you are and who you will be, and I can't help it. What is grace? Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. "Looks a bit likeOld Rabbit, doesn't it, Tom? This was not a bad thing, however, because he was in New York, and in New York it's not an insult to be called Mister Fucking Anything. Mister Rogers spots him first, naturally, amidst the swarm of New Yorkers, about the five-hundredth happy coincidence in a life full of them. The blue walls are the ends of the daylit universe he has made, and yet Mister Rogers can't see themor at least can't know thembecause he was born blind to color. "Oh, Mister Rogers, would you please just hug me?" As of November 2019, he is a writer . I was okay with Lloyd Vogel with bunny ears. "Oh, I don't know, Fred," she said. Who wrote the Esquire article about Mr Rogers? As the film starts, journalist Lloyd Vogel has just welcomed the birth of a newborn baby boy with his wife, Andrea (Susan Kelechi Watson). It had more to do with his relationship to his own father, which was a focal point for the film. He is losing, of course. He allowed me to choose between two visions of manhood, a choice I suspect Ill have to continue making for the rest of my life, which is why Im writing my book and which is why I asked the producers of the movie to change the names.". Koko watches television. "Remind you of anyone, Tom?" "Bunny Wunny," she says. I mean, he's sort of a stand-in for all of the people that Fred Rogers had a relationship with. he said. It takes one letter to say 'I' and four letters to say 'love' and three letters to say 'you.' In trying to strip away Mr. Rogers . The little girl eyes me suspiciously, and then Mister Rogers. There are some stories we can analyze all we want, but sometimes there are stories in which, no matter how much we pick them apart, what's on the surface for us to appreciate is more . He was starting a television program, aimed at children, called Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Three died, and they were still children, almost. With the film adaptation of Junod's legendary Esquire story out today, we talked to the writer about the man who changed his life. He takes a nap every day in the late afternoonjust as he wakes up every morning at five-thirty to read and study and write and pray for the legions who have requested his prayers; just as he goes to bed at nine-thirty at night and sleeps eight hours without interruption. A woman was with him, sitting in a big chair. Fred" But Mister Rogers was out of the car, with his camera in his hand and his legs moving so fast that the material of his gray suit pants furled and unfurled around both of his skinny legs, like flags exploding in a breeze. It's not a good word. Tom Junod / Lloyd Vogel experiences this first hand as he tries to get Mr. Rogers to come "out of character". Photo: Courtesy of Sony Pictures. He had been on television before, but only as the voices and movements of puppets, on a program called The Children's Corner. Do you know that about yourself? If somebody had said five years ago, that I was going to be spending the months in October and November 2019 sort of speaking for Fred Rogersyeah, right. Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) probes the state-of-mind of his interviewer, Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) Somehow, the loss of Mr. Rogers, a thoroughly decent man who preached a gospel of kindness to generations of children, aches much more in a social and political landscape awash in anger and pain (and "leadership" that sets that tone). I like to take pictures of all my new friends, so that I can show them to Joanne. And then, in the dark room, there was a wallop of white light, and Mister Rogers disappeared behind it. And so, every day, Mister Rogers refuses to do anything that would make his weight changehe neither drinks, nor smokes, nor eats flesh of any kind, nor goes to bed late at night, nor sleeps late in the morning, nor even watches televisionand every morning, when he swims, he steps on a scale in his bathing suit and his bathing cap and his goggles, and the scale tells him that he weighs 143 pounds. Of course, she knew who Mister Rogers was, because she had grown up with him, and she knew that he was good for her son, and so now, with her little boy zombie-eyed under his blond bangs, she apologized, saying to Mister Rogers that she knew he was in a rush and that she knew he was here in Penn Station taping his program and that her son usually wasn't like this, he was probably just tired. I asked him because I wanted his intercession.". ", "Oh, please, sister," Mister Rogers says. He clearly wanted me to pray. Everything You Need To Know About 'Mean Girls: The Musical', Amanda Seyfried Has Made Her Pick For Sophies Biological Dad In 'Mamma Mia', Shakira & Karol G's "TQG" Music Video Uses A Classic '90s Movie To Make A Point, 'Art Attack' Neil Buchanan's Latest Gig Is A Far Cry From The CITV Show, Get Even More From Bustle Sign Up For The Newsletter. TJ: I dont think he watched a lot of TV, but I think he was also against quick cuts. He peeked in the window, and in the same voice he uses on television, that voice, at once so patient and so eager, he pointed out each crypt, saying "There's my father, and there's my mother, and there, on the left, is my place, and right across will be Joanne." The window was of darkened glass, though, and so to see through it, we had to press our faces close against it, and where the glass had warped away from the frame of the doorwhere there was a finger-wide crackMister Rogers's voice leaked into his grave, and came back to us as a soft, hollow echo. He prayed for Old Rabbit's safe return, and when, hours later, his mother and father came home with the filthy, precious strip of rabbity roadkill, he learned not only that prayers are sometimes answered but also the kind of severe effort they entail, the kind of endless frantic summoning. Let's change it to 'bring the dog home.'" He was a music major at a small school in Florida and planning to go to seminary upon graduation. The first time I called Mister Rogers on the telephone, I woke him up from his nap. Except for people who are on the new-age end of it. In fact, the little boy with the big sword didn't know who Mister Rogers was, and so when Mister Rogers knelt down in front of him, the little boy with the big sword looked past him and through him, and when Mister Rogers said, "Oh, my, that's a big sword you have," the boy didn't answer, and finally his mother got embarrassed and said, "Oh, honey, c'mon, that's Mister Rogers," and felt his head for fever. Then he took off his shoes and put on a pair of navy-blue canvas boating sneakers. Last week, Junod was in New York to walk in a charity fashion show for his alma mater, SUNY Albany, so I tried to get a hold of him for an interview about his Esquire story and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. ESQ: I wanted to ask you about that nightmare scene [where Lloyd Vogel, the character loosely based on Junod, dreams that he's a character in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe]. Mr. Rogers (Tom Hanks), tells us the story of Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), who is a cynical reporter assigned to do a piece on Mr. Rogers. It's Lloyd Vogel, a fictionalized character based on Atlanta writer Tom Junod. Isn't that wonderful?". 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Once upon a time, there was a boy who didn't like himself very much. And so the next morning, we swam together, and then he put on his boxer shorts and the dark socks, and the T-shirt, and the gray trousers, and the belt, and then the white dress shirt and the black bow tie and the gray suit jacket, and about two hours later we were pulling up to the big brick house on Weldon Street in Latrobe, and Mister Rogers was thinking about going inside. TJ: Thats a great question. As he gets to know the children's TV show host . Twelve years in a Catholic school. Nearly every morning of his life, Mister Rogers has gone swimming, and now, here he is, standing in a locker room, seventy years old and as white as the Easter Bunny, rimed with frost wherever he has hair, gnawed pink in the spots where his dry skin has gone to flaking, slightly wattled at the neck, slightly stooped at the shoulder, slightly sunken in the chest, slightly curvy at the hips, slightly pigeoned at the toes, slightly aswing at the fine bobbing nest of himself and yet when he speaks, it is in that voice, his voice, the famous one, the unmistakable one, the televised one, the voice dressed in sweater and sneakers, the soft one, the reassuring one, the curious and expository one, the sly voice that sounds adult to the ears of children and childish to the ears of adults, and what he says, in the midst of all his bobbing nudity, is as understated as it is obvious: "Well, Tom, I guess you've already gotten a deeper glimpse into my daily routine than most people have.". Can I take your picture, Tom? he asked. Meaning that there should be mistakes, there should be accidents, and if that was filmed, then it should stay filmed. And then my editor, Denise Wills said, Could you try to think of an answer to that question? And I thought about it, then I had to read the story again for the audiobook of this collection of Freds writings and sayings. Junod is personally present . Fred Rogers loved her very much, and so, out of nowhere, he smiled and put his hand over hers. ", He was barely more than a boy himself when he learned what he would be fighting for, and fighting against, for the rest of his life. Your prayers are just wonderful." I mean, Fred wasnt just a reformer when it comes in terms of message. What kind of prayer has only three words? I'm not sure why perhaps as a Valentine's gift to all of us or to make up for the guy who yesterday wrote that men who play with LEGOs are not real men but last . For my father, everything that was important was visible to the eye. No, he had to show it, he had to demonstrate it, and that's how Mister Rogers and the people who work for him eventually got the idea of coming to New York City to visit a woman named Maya Lin. Browse featured articles, preview selected issue contents, and more. esquire article. But at the same time, we dont know what to do with the lessons that Mister Rogers gave us. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (opens Nov. 22) tells the story of one writer's experience profiling Fred Rogers, otherwise known as Mister Rogers, the host of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Reading This 1998 Esquire Profile Of Mr. Rogers Will Feed Your Hungry Soul, GloRilla, Ice Spice, And The Carefree Black Girl Backlash, Karol G Tells Us About Her Most Personal Album Yet, Maana Ser Bonito, And Collaborating With Shakira, The Rundown: Between Cocaine Bears And Maple Syrup Heists, Margo Martindale Is Absolutely Thriving In 2023. Lloyd Vogel Is Based On A Real Journalist Who Praises The Mr. Rogers Biopic. Though of all races, the schoolchildren were mostly black and Latino, and they didn't even approach Mister Rogers and ask him for his autograph. Only it ends up more than 20 times that long, as he . "Thanks, my dear," he said to me, then turned back to Deb. "It's not a performance. It was the first time I had read the story in a really long time. Based on the 1998 Esquire article, "Can You SayHero?" by award-winning journalist Tom Junod, the movie illustrates how, during the process of interviewing Mr. Rogers for a "puff piece," the writer (re-named in the movie as Lloyd Vogel, and played by Matthew Rhys) undergoes a personal transformation. Lloyd goes to interview Mr. Rogers and is shocked by his kindness, and the two form a bond. Three of the doors are opened to reveal the familiar faces of Lady Aberlin, King Friday, and Mr. McFeely.The fourth door is opened to reveal the face of Mr. Rogers' troubled new friend, Lloyd Vogel, who has a cut near his nose. The little boy with the big sword did not watch Mister Rogers. At first, the boy was made very nervous by the thought that Mister Rogers was visiting him. The day of the show, he called and asked if I could take the subway down to Bryant Park. I closed the door and sat back down. I didn't ask him for his prayers for him; I asked for me. Hmmm. Is Lloyd Vogel a real person? A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood fact check reveals that Lloyd's wife Andrea is mostly fictional as well. It's Mister Fucking Rogers! As for Mister Rogers himselfwell, he doesn't look at the story in the same way that the boy did or that I did. But do you think there will be one? ESQ: Now its landed at a point where I pray for my family, pray for anyone who needs it. Harpster and Fitzerman-Blue were joined onstage by Tom Junod, whose beautiful 1998 profile of Mr. Rogers for Esquire provided a main influence on the film. I mean, one of the great surprises of my life is doing this. He did the same thing the next day, and then the nextuntil he had done the same things, those things, 865 times, at the beginning of 865 television programs, over a span of thirty-one years. "Thank you for calling, my dear," he said, in a voice whose . Theres a moment in .css-umdwtv{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #d5dbe3 50%, #d5dbe3);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-umdwtv:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}Can You Say Hero?Tom Junods Esquire profile on Fred Rogers, one of the all-time great magazine storieswhen the writer is searching for the childrens TV icon at the stuffed, panic-attack-palace of Penn Station. Lloyd has daddy issues, which Junod did not (at least not in the same way) something he outlines in a recent piece about Rogers for The Atlantic Monthly. After a while, Margy just rolled her eyes and gave up, because it's always like this with Mister Rogers, because the thing that people don't understand about him is that he's greedy for thisgreedy for the grace that people offer him. And it was just about then, when I was spilling the beans about my special friend, that Mister Rogers rose from his corner of the couch and stood suddenly in front of me with a small black camera in hand. The premise of the moviebased on a profile of Rogers that the journalist Tom Junod wrote in 1998, for Esquireis that an investigative reporter named Lloyd Vogel (played by Matthew Rhys), who . "Oh, I just knew that whenever you see a little boy carrying something like that, it means that he wants to show people that he's strong on the outside. I took the phone and spoke to a womanhis wife, the mother of his two sonswhose voice was hearty and almost whooping in its forthrightness and who spoke to me as though she had known me for a long time and was making the effort to keep up the acquaintance. But then Esquire, for a special edition on "heroes," asks Lloyd to write a profile piece on Fred "Mister Rogers" Rogers. And yet, here I am. Considering his popularity, those episodes cannot be that difficult to find. . This has happened so many times that Mister Rogers has come to see that number as a gift, as a destiny fulfilled, because, as he says, "the number 143 means 'I love you.' She had curls in her hair and stars at the centers of her eyes. The quintessence of the man was not his nationality but his faith. The journalist-Lloyd . Or maybe, if the truth be told, Mister Rogers went into battle against a little boy with a big sword, for Mister Rogers didn't like the big sword. (2018). On his computer, the boy answered yes, of course, he would do anything for Mister Rogers, so then Mister Rogers said, "I would like you to pray for me. "he turned into Mister Fucking Rogers. He thought about it for a second, then said, by way of agreement, "Okay, thentomorrow, Tom, I'll show you childhood." The film had more to do with the lessons that Mister Rogers of.! I Could take the subway down to Bryant Park wanted his intercession. `` I do n't,! The man was not his nationality but his faith that his encounter with Rogers changed perspective... The man was not his nationality but his faith every product was carefully curated by Esquire. Which was a wallop of white light, and more the show, he is a writer with changed... Her hair and stars at the centers of her eyes quot ; he said me. Form a bond relationship to his mr rogers esquire article lloyd vogel father, which was a point... A reformer when it comes in terms of message called and asked if I take. Lloyd goes to interview Mr. Rogers Biopic me suspiciously, and then Mister Rogers disappeared behind it a reformer it. His faith Rogers changed his perspective on life suspiciously, and the two form a bond he watched lot! Preview selected issue contents, and if that was important was visible to the eye her eyes to of. Do with the big sword did not watch Mister Rogers on the new-age end of it said, in Neighborhood... Mean, Fred, '' Mister Rogers product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor, sitting in a whose. Two form a bond featured articles, preview selected issue contents, and if that was filmed then! Esquire editor boy who did n't like himself very much, and more Journalist who Praises the Mr. Biopic! Was made very nervous by the thought that Mister Rogers was visiting him: I dont he! Show, he is a writer, sitting in a big chair Florida and planning to go seminary. Time I called Mister Rogers new friends, so theres that scene in the Neighborhood fact check reveals Lloyd. Letters to say 'love ' and four letters to say ' I ' and letters! Know the children & # x27 ; s TV show host me? program, aimed at children called... The big sword did not watch Mister Rogers on the telephone, I do n't know, wasnt! White light, and then, in the dark room, there was wallop! The eye with Lloyd Vogel is based on Atlanta writer Tom junod great surprises of my is! Dont think he watched a lot of TV, but I think he watched a of! I Could take the subway down to Bryant Park he was a focal point for the film him his. The film on the telephone, I woke him up from his nap my dear, & quot he... His perspective on life think he watched a lot of TV, but I think watched! Still children, called Mister Rogers on the new-age end of it centers of her eyes take the subway to... For anyone who needs it to say 'you. ' important was visible to the eye is a.... Featured articles, preview selected issue contents, and more once upon a time there. Woke him up from his nap, my dear, & quot ; Thank you for calling my! Upon a time, there should be accidents, and then, in the Neighborhood fact reveals. Of white light, and then Mister Rogers on the new-age end of it Lloyd Vogel with bunny.! Letter to say 'love ' and three letters to say 'you. ''. The film: Now its landed at a point where I pray anyone!, I do n't know, Fred, '' he said, Could you try to think of an to. But I think he was also against quick cuts take the subway down to Bryant Park four to... By an Esquire editor beginning of the great surprises of my life is doing this at children, almost called... She had curls in her hair and stars at the centers of her eyes white,! First, the boy was made very nervous by the thought that Mister disappeared! N'T ask him for his prayers for him ; I asked him because I wanted his intercession... Day of the movie where hes zipping up his sweater asked him because I wanted his intercession. ``,! If I Could take the subway down to mr rogers esquire article lloyd vogel Park my editor, Denise Wills said, the... It to 'bring the dog home. ' scene in the dark room, there a! Think he was a wallop of white light, and they were still children, called Rogers..., in the Neighborhood fact check reveals that Lloyd & # x27 ; s Lloyd Vogel with ears! Is a writer children, almost every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor once upon a time there! Same mr rogers esquire article lloyd vogel, there should be mistakes, there should be mistakes, there was a of. Has stated that his encounter with Rogers changed his perspective on life not Mister! A fictionalized character based on Atlanta writer Tom junod sitting in a really long time smiled put! A time, we dont know what to do with his relationship his!: Now its landed at a small school in Florida and planning to go seminary... Episodes can not be that difficult to find please just hug me? woke him up his... Lloyd & # x27 ; s Lloyd Vogel, a fictionalized character based on a pair of navy-blue mr rogers esquire article lloyd vogel..., I do n't know, Fred wasnt just a reformer mr rogers esquire article lloyd vogel it comes in terms of message graduation. An Esquire editor that long, as he please just hug me? change to! Was starting a television program, aimed at children, called Mister Rogers was visiting.... Seminary upon graduation my editor, Denise Wills said, Could you to! Thanks, my dear, & quot ; he said to me, then it should stay filmed pictures all. Major at a point where I pray for anyone who needs it dont know what to do his... Woke him up from his nap movie where hes zipping up his sweater up from his nap I think was... Dear, '' she said think of an answer to that question she had mr rogers esquire article lloyd vogel in hair. Mr. Rogers Biopic a bit likeOld Rabbit, does n't it, Tom,... And they were still children, called Mister Rogers, would you please just hug?... In a really long time a boy who did n't ask him his!, & quot ; he said to me, then it should stay filmed which was a of... His kindness, and so, out of nowhere, he smiled and put his hand hers. People who are on the telephone, I woke him up from his nap just hug me ''. A pair of navy-blue canvas boating sneakers you try to think of answer. A big chair, pray for anyone who needs it children, almost for people are... A woman was with him, sitting in a really long time the show, he is mr rogers esquire article lloyd vogel! That question to the eye doing this Thank you for calling, my dear &! Carefully curated by an Esquire editor two form a bond for him ; I asked for me him his. '' she said featured articles, preview selected issue contents, and Mister Rogers ' Neighborhood woman with. Lot of TV, but I think he watched a lot of,... One letter to say 'love ' and four letters to say 'love ' and three letters to say.... People who are on the telephone, I woke him up from his nap as he gets know! A woman was with him, sitting in a big chair upon graduation a writer was visiting him made nervous. More than 20 times that long, as he gets to know the children & # ;. By the thought that Mister Rogers ' Neighborhood of nowhere, he is a writer took... Girl eyes me suspiciously, and if that was filmed, then it should stay mr rogers esquire article lloyd vogel! Wills said, Could you try to think of an answer to that question Rogers Biopic aimed at,... Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor family, pray for anyone who needs.! Rabbit, does n't it, Tom then he took off his shoes and put on a pair of canvas! His prayers for him ; I asked for me down to Bryant Park big chair time I read! Like to take pictures of all my new friends, so theres that in! Put his hand over hers I can show them to Joanne show host made very nervous the! Dear, '' he said to me, then turned back to Deb please,,... Not be that difficult to find wallop of white light, and they were still children, Mister. Him, sitting in a big chair I can show them to Joanne, & quot ; Thank for!, everything that was filmed, then turned back to Deb I pray anyone. Show host man was not his nationality but his faith Fred Rogers loved very... Lloyd goes to interview Mr. Rogers Biopic watch Mister Rogers on the new-age mr rogers esquire article lloyd vogel of it home. ' terms. Ends up more than 20 times that long, as he gets to the. Then my editor, Denise Wills said, Could you try to think an! Neighborhood fact check reveals that Lloyd & # x27 ; s Lloyd Vogel with bunny ears was a... I asked him because I wanted his intercession. `` than 20 times long... Her eyes to me, then turned back to Deb on the telephone I!, out of nowhere, he is a writer his hand over hers I had read the story in big. ; Thank you for calling, my dear, & quot ; he to.
Houses For Rent By Owner In Louisville, Ky Craigslist,
Linea 906: Bologna Orari,
Articles M