Why Any Hollywood Auteur Needs a Good Personal Assistant

From the New York Times Book Review’s Q&A with movie director J. J. Abrams:

When [our youngest son] was in kindergarten he brought home some books by Mo Willems, who has one of the most remarkable comedic voices I’ve ever read. His sense of humanity — of heart and generosity — is staggering.

I was so blown away, I got his number from his agent and called him. I was essentially a sycophant, expressing what a deep fan of his I am, how I would love to work together one day. He was quiet on the phone, almost monosyllabic, disinterested. Frankly it was a bit of an odd reaction.

It wasn’t until the next day that I discovered that I had, in error, called Mo Williams of the Portland Trail Blazers.