Stan T. Mann's Questionnaire

"Alright! We're live in 3... 2... 1..."

(The hustle and bustle of the studio dies down as the countdown begins.)

"Good evening to all our viewers from home. Tonight, we've got a special guest joining us today! He needs no introduction but he gets one anyway, so let's all give a warm welcome to... Stan T Mann!"

(An "Applaud" sign flares to life, followed by the roar of applause.)

How does that make you feel, Stan? Would they applaud without a cue?

You didn't even notice the sign, did you...

"How could I refuse the invite, Pat? I'm happy to be here tonight."

"That's great to hear! And how was the trip down to the studio?"

"Well Pat, you know how Chicago traffic gets at this hour. Took some time, but I sorta know my way around the city. You get used to it after being around here for as long as I have."

"Haha, and how are the wife and kids? You think they're watching right now?"

"Oh, I think so! Hi, honey! Louise, Rosa, I hope you aren't giving your mother any trouble." (Stan puts on a stern frown, then drops it since he can't hold in his laughter).

"I love you guys!"

"And I bet they love you too, Stan! Now, onto the next questions..."

Entering the cinema, you see several posters line the walls. In a few of them, you can see Stan posing on the cover, with his name written in bold letters. Merchandise lines the ticket booth, including custom popcorn buckets and autographed photos.

Next to the merchandise, you also see a sign:
"All proceeds go towards SAG-AFTRA initiatives intended to support aspiring artists and performers."

You decide to buy an autographed photo. It's Stan's. Next to his signature, you can make out the text:
"Thank you so much for your support! With your help, I know that we can really make a difference."

TL;DR He's an actor/stuntman in movies and mostly spends his money on getting his kids through school, paying the mortgage, etc. He's a cool guy.

"Now Stan, rumour has it that you've been planning to start an initiative to help out aspiring actors in the industry?"

"That's right, Pat. I was very fortunate to land my first few roles in Gladiator and the Lord of the Rings movies. I was but a humble extra. Casino Royale & John Wick were fun ones though! That's where I got to learn some fight choreography and that was always exciting! Now, I even have the privilege of choice! But I'm realizing that it's exceedingly more challenging for new talent to land those first vital roles that can jumpstart their career. And even then, I fear that actors aren't getting proper credit. They play a vital role in bringing these pictures to life! Something needs to change in Hollywood, lest its stagnancy leads to its downfall."

"...and Stan, I wanted to offer our condolences for a dearly departed friend. Lauren was a prodigious director..."

Pat's voice fades as Stan recollects on the last time he talked with Lauren.

Barely a week ago, Lauren wanted to talk about some of her upcoming projects over coffee.

"As per usual, your ideas are very... avant-garde."

"Hollywood's such a bore, Stan.  It does nothing but shill out the same slop, ad infinitum. Someone should experiment. Why shouldn't it be me?"

"Well, it's certainly a band-aid solution, but I feel like that doesn't solve the root of the problem: maybe Hollywood needs some changes."

"One can dream, Stan. One can dream..."

Not two days after, Lauren got into a fatal car accident.

Life is frail and fickle, so do what you can while you have it.

Don't forget that.

Louise and Rosa are Stan's kids.

Louise is a 15 year old boy who's found a passion for chemistry. A brilliant child that tends to be a bit reserved, he spends a lot of his time playing D&D and other games with friends of his. Stan wishes he could spend more time with Louise, but he seems to be getting more and more... distant? No Stan, he's just getting to be more independent.

Rosa is a 13 year old girl who takes after her father. She's found a love for theatre, and Stan hopes to kindle that passion and support her. One doesn't realize the mistake of providing more support in their developing years, so at least he can do more for his daughter.

I'm sorry for not being around as much as I should have, Lou. I'll make it up to you.

Maria is the love of Stan's life. She's 42, a civil engineer, and inspired Stan's love for physics (specifically what he considers the "fun" physics), listening to his chatter about redirecting vectors, predicting bullet trajectories, and other wild ideas for some films. She GMs some of the games for her son and invites Stan to try out. Maybe they do a family campaign? That'd be fun.

“My childhood wasn’t much to write home about.”

“My father, Stanley, is a high school physics teacher. Still teaches to this day, actually. Jokes about how he’d be six feet under and he’d still ask his students to calculate his potential energy relative to the Earth’s surface, whatever that means.”

“My mother, Eleanor, worked as a florist. Used to own a flower shop not too far from here, actually.”

“School was a bit of a challenge for me. High school I got through with plenty of B’s, even got an A-! That was challenging as hell, though; I wanted to do well for my parents since they pushed themselves to keep us comfortable. College was another thing. I thought I should’ve gone into the sciences because everyone else was going into college, but the silver screen called to me.”

“I’m lucky I stuck around for as long as I did, though. Wouldn’t have met my lovely wife if I hadn’t. She inspired me to launch my career actually. That’s right folks. Stan T Mann is a college dropout. But stay in school kids. I’m one of the fortunate few that ended up making it. It was incredibly risky, so make sure you’ve got a good plan; if you don’t, make sure that you’ve got a genius that’s madly in love with you who can help you stay afloat while you fumble through the process.”

“Have I been in love?”

“Only on two occasions. One didn’t end up working out so well. I was… it was a folly in my youth. I was too rash. Things moved too quickly and I got caught up in all the feelings and…”

Stan thinks back to when he was 19. Him and Lorraine. Professing their love to each other, wanting to move in together… had a child together. Stan thought that his acting career would take off right after high school, but… it was a rough start. They realized that they wouldn’t be able to take care of little Andres, so they put him up for adoption, much to Lorraine’s chagrin. Lorraine left his life as quickly as she entered it.

“Anyways, I’m lucky to have met Maria in my early 20’s.”

Stan started college a bit late in hopes of salvaging his life. He met Maria while trying out DND 3.5E. She listened to him prattle on and on, and even comforted him after his favourite character died. Gnash the Kobold will be missed.
“Maria was always the pragmatic one, wanted to be financially secure before committing to things. I guess I placed a bit of a burden on her with my silly dreams, pressured her into being successful. Then again, she always tells me to shush whenever I try to be apologetic for it.”

“I wanted to be open with her about everything. She needed to know that I’m not a good man, let alone a great one. But she stuck with me regardless. I’m eternally grateful to her.”