Ang Lee: six years in purgatory

Most people know of Ang Lee as one of Hollywood’s megastar directors, producers, and screenwriters.  He has won accolades and awards for his many works including Brokeback Mountain, Life of Pi, Hulk, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, etc.  But few know that before he became a big shot director, he went through six agonizing and long years of “failures.” 

After graduating from New York University Tisch School of Arts, where he received acclaim for his thesis work, he came to the attention of the William Morris Agency, a famous talent and literary agency.  This must have seemed like a dream come true for the young Ang Lee, I mean, he was on his way to becoming a major director, wasn't he...?

But Alas, few things are ever so rosy in real life.  Instead of catapulting to Hollywood stardom, Ang Lee sunk into 6 long years of unemployment, 6 long years of being a full-time house-husband where instead of attending premieres, he was swaddling diapers, vacuuming, and washing dishes.  Although, he continued to write and generate new ideas, Ang Lee’s work fell on deaf ears.  Imagine coming face-to-face with the ugly face of rejection for 6 LONG years.

During that long dark stretch into the abyss, Ang Lee must have had to face his worse demons: the agony of rejection, the pain of hope turning into despair, the gnawing fear that perhaps he just “SUCKED”, the psychological stress that perhaps everyone else also thought he SUCKED” and that they were all snickering at him.  The latter must have been particularly acute for Ang Lee who was brought up in a traditional Chinese family that respected men as macho breadwinners not fruity-tutti house-husbands!   OHHH! The shame, the pain, the bitterness!

But Ang Lee kept at it, I certainly don’t know how he overcame his demons, perhaps he never did.  But what we do know is that he didn't allow them to sidetrack him.

And it paid off!  Ang Lee went on to produce Hollywood blockbuster hits, winning numerous accolades including the Academy Awards for Best Director twice.

Persistence can pay off.  Can’t guarantee when, but hopefully you’ll live long enough to see it happen to you!  

But I believe you have to put yourself on the "chopping block" for the world to test and judge, otherwise you would never even get close, it's like dreaming of becoming the next Michael Jordan without ever picking up a basketball.