hawkish nose. And since Gayle is good at obsessing—like she did with
her dog in her touchingly humorous yet poignant HBO film, "A Dogs
Life." That film examined the intense bonds between dogs and humans as
seen through the lens of a single woman in the city (think "Sex in the
City" meets "Best in Show"); in it Kirschenbaum addressed her love for
her animal—now it's time for her beak.
So, despite her mom's protestations, Gayle examined the act of
cutting and reshaping but didn't dive in. All she did was make this
short film, "My Nose," which has been making the rounds of film
festivals with the hope that it will garner enough attention and
interest to develop it into a feature.
Q: Does it seem that a lot of members of the Jewish community are obsessed with their noses?
GK: I can't actually agree with that statement. Yes, there are some Jews that have a thing about getting rid of their ethnic nose and anglicizing it.
Obviously, that was common among the Jews I grew up with on Long Island in the ’70s. I do find it interesting and perhaps it's another documentary how the physical ethnic traits that Jews are stereotyped for such as large noses and curly hair are often not desired and sometimes changed. I have both. Is it the wanting to look like everyone else? I think we are greatly affected by what society considers beautiful and a large hooked nose hasn't been portrayed as beauty. You have to admit there are some great schnozes out there on celebrities such as Adrian Brody and Owen Wilson (this one I believe is not Jewish). And remember Jennifer Grey who had great success in “Dirty Dancing” playing a young Jewish woman, and after that film she had a nose job and has claimed that destroyed her career.
Q: Is the desire for a nose job a Jewish syndrome?
GK: No! I learned recently that it's an obsession in Iran and if you have a nose job it's a sign of prosperity. There was a recent documentary made about nose jobs in Iran. In 2005 CBS ran a story called “Iran: Nose Job Capital of World.”
Q: Do you think you will ever get a nose job?
GK: I have chronic sinusitis and when I fly if my sinuses are acting up it could be excruciating when the plane descends. I actually ended up bursting blood vessels in my ear once. I had all the necessary tests and MRIs and I was informed that I had serious blockage and was a candidate for sinus surgery.
My mother took this opportunity to jump into my nose with a full-blown campaign. "They'll going to be in there anyway, you might as well have them give you a nose job!" I refused and she didn't speak to me for two weeks.
I met Paul Vance, who is a songwriter who wrote classic songs like "Itsy
Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.” And he joined the nose job campaign. I was weakened and flew back to LA—that's where I was living at the time. I started interviewing plastic surgeons to do the cosmetic part of the surgery. I brought in several photographs of Semitic looking noses and emphasized that I hate the look of a nose job and want to keep my Semitic look but just have the bump shaved down. They all kept saying that was no problem but they would have to lift the tip also…
In the end, I got a job, not a nose job. I was a freelance TV producer at the time, producing a TV show which ironically had be traveling all over the country. I cancelled the surgery, and didn't have the sinus or cosmetic surgery. I went to a homeopathic pharmacy in Santa Monica and bought several things to help remedy sinus problems.
Q: You don't have problems being on camera and being so self-revelatory?
GK: I am very comfortable being on camera and being open. What do I have to hide? I find that being open makes people around me more comfortable and they can also open up. When I was behind the camera interviewing people as a TV producer, I was quite successful at getting incredible interviews I remember once interviewing Carrie Fisher, and her publicist was sitting on the coach and said, "I can't believe she is telling you all this." And then Carrie said, "My therapist is in Costa Rica." I said, "Don't worry. I am here."
Q: How does this affect your relationship with people and with men in particular?
GK: I would say that my comfort in front of the camera brings people to me. Regarding men... I guess some are drawn towards me because of my openness. It just depends on the person.
I don't think my nose has ever gotten in the way of my relationships with men. In fact, most men when they hear about this film, can't understand my mom and tell me they love my nose.
Q: Have you gotten any dates because of the film?
No dates yet. The film just started playing festivals. It will be in the Toronto Jewish Film Festival May 8th and then in New York. See below for details and more to follow. You can also learn more about the film and opportunities to get involved at the website www.kirschenbaumproductions.com/mynose and also watch a trailer.
"My Nose" screens May 17 at 7 p.m. at Two Boots Pioneer Theater, 155 East 3rd Street in connection with the 14th Street Y and July 25 at 7 p.m. at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place in Manhattan as part of New York's Best Emerging Artists program.