This is one of the ways in which you might know Doug Jones; a brilliant character actor in a number of beautiful movies including my favorite film of all time, Pan's Labyrinth. This is how I used to know Doug Jones.
Now this is how I know Doug Jones.
Honestly, I am beyond grateful this man is in my life. And truthfully, were it not for his work in many movies that have influenced my life and imagination, it never would have happened. So there are two places I really must thank for this; Hollywood and the Los Angeles Film Studies Center.
Now, right now Sunday feels like the perfect day to write about Doug Jones. Why Sunday, you may ask? Well, for many Sunday is considered a day of rest and a day that we should reflect and make sure to show love to others. Not everybody feels that but many people I know. And Doug shows love for everybody when he meets them. True, he is only a man. But he is one of the most gentle kind and loving people you may ever meet on this earth.
I tell my friends: "We need more people on this earth like Doug Jones." Anyone who's met him has not disagreed with me.
When I initially met Doug, I had heard many stories. I really only just met Doug within the past year but if there is any one "name" actor I could ever meet, he has been that one. It's not just because he's in my favorite movie and played some beautiful characters. No, it's because of the man he is. Even if I never got the opportunity to get him into one of my films (though I'm quite sure it will happen in time) I would still want this man in my life. He enriches it and makes it better and I'm sure that's the case with many, if not all of the people he meets. I would still want to be his friend even if I don't work with him.
Now, I will say this, if you meet Doug Jones, he WILL hug you. If you're comfortable with that, there may be more touching. Nothing creepy, of course. Perhaps, like Doug, we should instead call it petting. He has a special intuition for recognizing when people don't have enough touch in their lives. It's part of his loving and gentle nature.
He's played some very rough characters you wouldn't want to know in real life, which makes sense doing a lot of creature work, but the nature of Doug is nothing like most of the characters he plays. He is such a wonderful and beautiful soul.
If you get a chance, I would urge you to find a way to meet Doug Jones at least once. He's that worth knowing. He has enriched my life and I hope in some way, however great or small, he enriches yours as well.
Me. I'm glad to be able to call Dougie a friend.
And I hope there will be many, many projects I get to work with him on in the future.
(And maybe if I'm real lucky, someday one of those projects will involve Guillermo Del Toro.)
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