One Degree of Charlie Chaplin

This evening I joined Ivy & Ned of the Brattle at dinner with Geraldine Chaplin and her husband Pato. Geraldine is being honored tomorrow night at our little shindig. Going into this, I had some presumptions (based on nothing, just my experience with other actors and celebs) that were quickly erased. She is so young in spirit (and life - I thought she would have been in her 70s), fun and not a single mention of her famous father. She lives in Switzerland and speaks English, Spanish and French interchangeably to her very handsome companion who has had an equally interesting and international lifestyle.

I spent most of the evening quiet because my film knowledge was nowhere near the caliber of the conversation. Geraldine and Pato had so many great stories like the time she gave out the Switzerland Award at the Bollywood equivalent of the Oscars (all the "heaven" scenes in Bollywood movies are filmed in Switzerland, apparently the Alps are Hindu heaven, probably because they have fatter cows). She and Pato told us how rich kids in Paris speak "in rap" (I think something got lost in translation) which eluded to a convo about La Excepcion, a Spanish gypsy rap group that is lead by a paraplegic who is carried around by the other members and occasionally drools. They sample donkey noises, which Geraldine so kindly demonstrated for us.

It was a great honor to share a meal with these two wonderful people and I look forward to seeing them again tomorrow. I bet she's going to look incredible.