Today is the one year anniversary of me becoming a Simon Russell Beale fan.
Writing this feels incredibly surreal, for lack of a better term, and I've elected to use the regular text as I deem this post too personal to warrant my usual text choice. Needless to say, it's gone by so quick. And here I am, one year on, and still just as enamoured with this gentlemen, if not more so.
When I started out, I was an admirer of his acting as Lavrenti Beria in The Death of Stalin and it was just that. Admiring. I got curious about him as a person around late May. I don't know why but I did. Within two weeks, I was besotted and have been in that state of mind ever since. June 9th was when it properly began. Yes, it has wained or lessened for a few days, a week at most but then it rushes back.
I've dubbed my condition the Beale Bug.
In all seriousness, being a fan of Simon has changed my life and my perception of art completely. As a result of becoming a fan and also falling deeper in love with Shakespeare at the same time, I am a much more educated and literate person.
His various characters, Kenneth Widmerpool, Thersites, Richard III, Sir Harcourt Courtly but to name a few, are a huge influence on my creative output. My poetry isn't too influenced by his work but my fanart and fanfic writing are solely dedicated to the various characters he has inhabited over the years.
As a queer and plus sized person, he has also been a huge role model for me. For once, I have representation of both my size and identity. To not bore you all too much, this simple fact has made me feel much more content with who I am. And at last, I FEEL SEEN!
To summarise, I deeply admire his dedication to his work and all the effort he puts into the characters he plays. I am dazzled by his intelligence also.
This past year has not been good for me due to mental health issues and physical health problems ( the latter of which I am still recovering from ) but his work and rewatching interviews of this incredibly kind, intelligent, funny and painfully humble man helped me through that period. I've also been having severe mental health issues since March that I am getting help for that his work has helped me through too.
Out of all the actors I've had hyperfixations on, my devotion to Simon has been the most passionate and influential on me.
I may one day post the full story of my Bealiever journey but for now, I leave you all with this.
I know he'll never see this but thank you, Simon. For being such a talented man and also being the reason I met my bestest friend in the entire universe.
