Jim Meskimen

There was no animosity, i thought they worked together really well. They had very different energies, but they were very friendly to each other. And it looked like they went on to be friends for quite some time. It was a good pairing. Will was very friendly, outgoing and a good host. People were coming to his house to work on his show. They were guests. But he treated everyone with respect, me included. He made everyone feel welcomed right away and the set was fun. We would even make a big circle where we’d put our arms around one another and wish each other the best. There was a nice spirit on set.

Like everyone else, I’m hugely impressed by how far he’s come as an actor, this was a rap artist from Philly who's now a mammoth star. But he’s always had a tremendous amount of personal magneticsm. Somebody once said on set that he had an Elvis vibe. I’ve never met Elvis, but he certainly has this very attractive quality. He’s a guy you want to spend time with and hear what he has to say. And when you’re a superstar, there’s an impulse to share everything with us. That’s very risky. But it also demonstrates personal freedom that, I think, we all aspire to. But even then, he demonstrated pure talent, humor, skill and inventiveness. He’s pretty irresistible.

There’s that song, ‘You Always Hurt the One You Love.’… [But] we shouldn’t make light of an assault. I’ve had it happened to me where people make fun of me in front of others, in front of a large group. They say something that is supposed to be entertaining, but in fact, it’s offensive and hurtful. At that point, I look at it as an opportunity for me. I have an opportunity to show grace, tolerance and understanding. Or it’s an opportunity to make an a-- of myself. You want to make the most of those opportunities. And when you’re a big star in the public eye, there are lots of opportunities to establish your brand and reputation through your behavior. I hope both Chris and Will get ideas on how to handle things better.