Bringing you the finest in shot-in-my-living-room entertainment, the Day 31 Finale of 30 Days of Clean is finally here!
When I set out to create the #30daysofclean hand washing series, I knew that I would do Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start The Fire”—with 30 years of new lyrics—as the finale.
What I didn’t know is that it would become a tribute.
On the morning I began filming this, I got word that my incredible acting teacher, Wynn Handman, had just passed away due to COVID related illness.
Wynn’s class was not only the greatest scene study class, but also a history class where Wynn would tell stories of the theatre and of his times in WWII—often breaking into song (yes, that’s him singing in the intro of this video).
Wynn taught through all 70 years of the lyrics in this song, from his beginnings as Sanford Meisner’s assistant, to his regularly scheduled scene study class, which spanned the years 1955 through 2020. Students included Michael Douglas, Richard Gere, Allison Janney, John Leguizamo, Christopher Walken (yes, I probably need more cowbell in this song), Denzel Washington…and me.
Wynn was also founder of The American Place Theatre (definitely check out the wonderful doc It Takes A Lunatic on Netflix, directed by Billy Lyons, who was at Wynn’s side to the last)
There is a legacy of greatness that Wynn gifted to each of his students and the actors he directed. He was a giant and he raised giants. What he gave will not be lost as we each, in our own way, carry it out into the world.
We will make all that could be…be.