My Life as a Furry Red Monster - Kevin Clash [45]
Jim wanted us to be comfortable and to assure us that he had all our interests at heart. That night he also told me how much he liked what I was doing with Elmo and that he had another character in mind for me. We never got around to discussing it; we both thought there would be time enough for that later on. We topped off the nice evening by driving by a local movie theater that was showing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie, which had just opened that weekend. The Jim Henson Creature Shop, a separate company he maintained, had built all the characters, and I had performed in the film.
Jim took great delight in seeing how many kids were dressed in costumes as they waited in a line that wrapped around the building. “Congratulations, Kevin,” he said, and somehow the way he spoke those simple words made me feel as though I were the one responsible for its success.
After Jim’s passing, the Henson family shared a few letters and notes he had written to us (he had written these thoughts down well in advance of his illness—just another thing he wanted to do for the people around him), expressing his feelings and his appreciation for our work and rallying us to continue the tradition when he was gone. With that wish in mind, we filmed a tribute to Jim that was later televised. In one scene, all the Muppets are backstage talking when Steve Whitmire as Kermit discovers them there and asks, “What are you guys doing? We’ve got a show to do!” True enough.
I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to work with Jim. And I’m especially grateful that he treated me like a friend.
ELMO RELIES ON his friends for many things. Sometimes he goes to them for comfort, as he did when he couldn’t sleep and he asked Oscar for a hug. (Even the legendary grouch had to give in—after checking both ways to be certain no one was watching and securing a promise from Elmo that he wouldn’t tell anyone.) Sometimes he relies on them to be his teachers, as many children do. In one recent segment, Elmo learned the word “no” from a young Muppet bully in the street. I’m sure parents can identify with the power that one little word has in the lives of their children.
Elmo loved the sound of the word, but didn’t really understand its meaning. The novelty of it appealed to him, and he was itching to use it. (This may sound like a three-year-old in your life.) Then Gordon and Miles came over and asked Elmo if he wanted to play miniature golf. They knew that Elmo loved to play, so they were really surprised when he said no to Gordon.
Gordon asked again.
“No!”
“Well, okay, Elmo. We’re going to leave.” And they did.
Elmo looked at the camera and sadly asked, “Why did Elmo do that?”
It was exciting to have a new word, but this one wasn’t working for him. Elmo was using the word too much and in the wrong situations. It was keeping him from doing the things he loved to do, and he was growing uncharacteristically unhappy.
When Maria and Luis asked him what was wrong, Elmo told them about the bully who’d given him the word and how it was making him do things he didn’t mean to do. They found the bully—he’d been giving other kids the wrong words, too, and like Elmo, they were worried and unhappy—and asked him to leave the street.
On one level, the show was about drugs, but it also demonstrated the importance of friendship in Elmo’s life. He has people who know him well, who share his interests, who want to spend time with him doing the things he loves to do, and who also watch out for him and are protective of him. While kids may get the antidrug message only through a guided conversation with adults, the lessons about friendship are clear.
For Sesame Street’s thirty-fifth anniversary in 2004, we shot a special “Elmo’s World” that shows Elmo at his best. Writers Lou Berger and Judy Freudberg put together a team to create The Street We Live On. I had a great time starring in it with Elmo and also directing with Ken