Debuting as Jerry the Minion from the “Despicable Me” films. I hope everyone is lucky enough to have a perfect moment at some point in his or her life. I’m talking about one of those moments that remain untouched in memory, no matter what happens.
My perfect moment lasted only 50 seconds, but it was witnessed by an audience of 50 million people.
Last year, I was a performer in the 2013 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, when I dressed up as a Minion character from the “Despicable Me” movies and danced my heart out to the entire country on live TV.
Everyone knows what a Minion is — one of those round, yellow, adorable creatures who have become some of the most recognizable characters of the 21st century. (If anyone doesn’t know what a Minion is, then their kids or grandkids will know, I promise.)
At the time when I was a cast as a Minion, I didn’t have any special memories of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Everyone I knew had memories of waking up early on Thanksgiving to watch the parade while Grandma made biscuits in the kitchen, or even going to see the parade in-person with their families. I never had those memories or even liked Thanksgiving very much, to be honest.
That changed last year. I was in my final year at New York University (NYU), getting ready to graduate and find a job, when I received an email from NBC Universal asking me to audition for the “Despicable Me 2” parade float.
Just a bit of backstory: I am a professional mascot. I was the school mascot at Montclair State University — Rocky the Red Hawk — before I transferred to NYU my sophomore year and became the university’s mascot, the Bobcat. So, needless to say, when it comes to dressing up and dancing in a costume, I am a professional.
A friend of mine, who also works as a costumed character, had recommended me to NBC Universal, as they were looking for (short) people with school mascot experience. (It really is “who you know” in this business!) Both of us nailed the audition, and she became the first member of what I like to call my “Minion family.” My “Minion family” was a group of about 25 women — with a few men thrown in there — from all different backgrounds and professional experience. I am so lucky to have had the experience working with this group — they are some of the most ambitious performers I have ever met. But, most importantly, they were kindhearted and loved what they did.
The week of the parade, we were all placed in a swanky Manhattan hotel — one that was close to Macy’s — where we all practiced our dance and got to know each other. It was kind of like summer camp, but in November. Then, on Thanksgiving morning, we all donned our costumes and got ready for our big TV debut.
I will admit that I was nervous. Sure, I was in a costume, and I had performed in a costume hundreds of times. But what if I tripped and fell and knocked over all the other Minions? The entire country would see it!
But in the seconds leading up to our TV broadcast, something strange happened to me — I was washed with some kind of emotional adrenaline. I wasn’t scared of those 50 million viewers; instead, I embraced them. I felt like everyone I had ever met in my entire life was watching me on TV and cheering me on, as if my entire life was leading up to that very moment. I mean, I was performing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!
It was, perhaps, the only moment of my life that I can describe as a “perfect moment.”
Now, whenever I’m in New York and I walk past Macy’s on 34th Street, the memory comes flooding back to me in an instant — the warmth I felt in my costume on that chilly morning, the cheers of the kids who came to watch the parade, and the moment I said to myself, “Wow, I can do this.”
Then I’ll walk a few blocks farther to 42nd Street, where I’ll see one of those Times Square mascots putting on a show for tourists. Behind Elmo, Spider-Man and SpongeBob SquarePants, there will be a man or woman dressed in a Minion costume — and I’ll tap him or her on the shoulder and whisper, “Good job, buddy.”