Enjoy a year of unlimited access to The Atlanticincluding every story on our site and app, subscriber newsletters, and more. Is Lloyd Vogel a real person? ESQUIRE: In your Atlantic piece, you talk about how theres no true successor to Mister Rogers. The Esquire article which brings Lloyd Vogel and Fred Rogers together did actually happen; as did the writer's fruitful transformation off the page. "Bunny Wunny," she says. We were heading back to his apartment in a taxi when I asked him what he had said. Lloyd has been tasked with profiling Fred Rogers for Esquire, an unusual assignment that he approaches with great reluctance and even resentment. He had already won his third Daytime Emmy, and now he went onstage to accept Emmy's Lifetime Achievement Award, and there, in front of all the soap-opera stars and talk-show sinceratrons, in front of all the jutting man-tanned jaws and jutting saltwater bosoms, he made his small bow and said into the microphone, "All of us have special ones who have loved us into being. He came home to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, once upon a time, and his parents, because they were wealthy, had bought something new for the corner room of their big redbrick house. Nearly every morning of his life, Mister Rogers has gone swimming, and now, here he is, standing in a locker room, seventy years old and as white as the Easter Bunny, rimed with frost wherever he has hair, gnawed pink in the spots where his dry skin has gone to flaking, slightly wattled at the neck, slightly stooped at the shoulder, slightly sunken in the chest, slightly curvy at the hips, slightly pigeoned at the toes, slightly aswing at the fine bobbing nest of himself and yet when he speaks, it is in that voice, his voice, the famous one, the unmistakable one, the televised one, the voice dressed in sweater and sneakers, the soft one, the reassuring one, the curious and expository one, the sly voice that sounds adult to the ears of children and childish to the ears of adults, and what he says, in the midst of all his bobbing nudity, is as understated as it is obvious: "Well, Tom, I guess you've already gotten a deeper glimpse into my daily routine than most people have.". At first, the boy was made very nervous by the thought that Mister Rogers was visiting him. What's more, it's based on a true story, with a few of the names changed. If they can hate something like that, you wonder how easy it would be for them to hate something more important." They sang, all at once, all together, the song he sings at the start of his program, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" Tom Hanks-starring Mister Rogers movie 'A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood' is loosely based off of the 'Esquire' profile Tom Junod, known as Lloyd Vogel in the film, wrote about Fred Rogers, and . he asked her, and when she said yes, he said, "Oh, thank you, my dear." Over 20 years after its publication, Junod, now a senior writer for ESPN, has come forward to share more about the lessons he's learned from Rogers, and how he's reconciled them with his feelings about A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. TJ: I dont know. I bring up the Pam Bondi thing in the The Atlantic piecewhere they actually use Fred to hound somebody. I n early 1998, Tom Junod received an assignment that was outside his wheelhouse. Lloyd Vogel Is Based On A Real Journalist Who Praises The Mr. Rogers Biopic. Its name was Old Rabbit. "Oh, I don't know, Fred," she said. Last week, Junod was in New York to walk in a charity fashion show for his alma mater, SUNY Albany, so I tried to get a hold of him for an interview about his Esquire story and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. First mook: "Looks like you're gonna have to break down and buy a dictionary." Based on the 1998 Esquire article, "Can You SayHero?" by award-winning journalist Tom Junod, the movie illustrates how, during the process of interviewing Mr. Rogers for a "puff piece," the writer (re-named in the movie as Lloyd Vogel, and played by Matthew Rhys) undergoes a personal transformation. Lloyd is married, has . But its the unintentional stuff that I think is really true to life. There are some stories we can analyze all we want, but sometimes there are stories in which, no matter how much we pick them apart, what's on the surface for us to appreciate is more . The movie was so well done and like a lot of people, I had no idea what a loving man Fred Rogers was. On this afternoon, the end of a hot, yellow day in New York City, he was very tired, and when I asked if I could go to his apartment and see him, he paused for a moment and said shyly, "Well, Tom, I'm in my bathrobe, if you don't mind." Koko weighed 280 pounds because she is a gorilla, and Mister Rogers weighed 143 pounds because he has weighed 143 pounds as long as he has been Mister Rogers, because once upon a time, around thirty-one years ago, Mister Rogers stepped on a scale, and the scale told him that Mister Rogers weighs 143 pounds. Hes obviously having trouble zipping up his sweater, its not easy for him, and I know that it took like many, many takes to do that. His name was Fred Rogers. Explore the full November 1998 issue of Esquire. Would you just take, along with me, ten seconds to think of the people who have helped you become who you are.Ten seconds of silence." And then my editor, Denise Wills said, Could you try to think of an answer to that question? And I thought about it, then I had to read the story again for the audiobook of this collection of Freds writings and sayings. And when I read that, I realized that what I was looking for was really unavoidable and obvious. Can I take your picture, Tom? he asked. He put his hand on the knob; he cracked it open, but then, with Bill Isler calling caution from the car, he said, "Maybe we shouldn't go in. She was very pretty. We may earn a commission from these links. I sat in an old armchair and looked around. Every product was carefully curated by an Esquire editor. It was the first time I had read the story in a really long time. But that is rather missing the point. . Your prayers are just wonderful." ESQ: In both pieces, the original and The Atlantic piece, prayer comes up. He is not speaking of the little girl. The boy had always been the object of prayer, and now he was being asked to pray for Mister Rogers, and although at first he didn't know if he could do it, he said he would, he said he'd try, and ever since then he keeps Mister Rogers in his prayers and doesn't talk about wanting to die anymore, because he figures Mister Rogers is close to God, and if Mister Rogers likes him, that must mean God likes him, too. I asked him because I think that anyone who has gone through challenges like that must be very close to God. During his early conversations with Mr. Rogers, Lloyd is visibly disconcerted, even disturbed . And so, once upon a time, Fred Rogers took off his jacket and put on a sweater his mother had made him, a cardigan with a zipper. Read it all when you have time, especially if youre binging on House of Cards this weekend. Im just wondering on your end, where has your relationship with prayer landed now, and do you think it will continue to change? Im not sure why perhaps as a Valentines gift to all of us or to make up for the guy who yesterday wrote that men who play with LEGOs are not real men but last night Esquire made one of the best profiles it (or anyone else) has ever published, Tom Junods 1998 profile of Mr. Rogers, available online. Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), an Esquire journalist known for his jarring exposs but is secretive about his childhood, is the film's protagonist. A distraction itself was dangerous. ", "Did your special friend have a name, Tom? Junod has stated that his encounter with Rogers changed his perspective on life. On this day, however, he is premature by a considerable extent, and so Margy, who has been with Mister Rogers since 1983because nobody who works for Mister Rogers ever leaves the Neighborhoodcomes running over, papers in hand, and says, "Not so fast there, buster. He was with his producer, Margy Whitmer. "No, you're not," she says. But in answer to your question, I mean there are all sorts of ways to be helpful and be of service. He notes, "I think that my character is not just me. Would you like to speak to him? he asked, and then handed me the phone. "Neighborhood" is based on, and serves as a fictionalized expansion upon, Tom Junod's 1998 profile of Rogers in Esquire; the article is online and worth the read. What is grace? The event is the premise of the 2019 feature film A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Once upon a time, there was a boy who didn't like himself very much. As he gets to know the children's TV show host . I like to take pictures of all my new friends, so that I can show them to Joanne." And then, in the dark room, there was a wallop of white light, and Mister Rogers disappeared behind it. It would not be easy, nofor in order to win such a battle, he would have to forbid himself the privilege of stopping, and whatever he did right he would have to repeat, as though he were already living in eternity. Id like to take your picture. He can't define it. Junod is also noted for his Esquire profile of Fred Rogers. And so it was; the asphalt ended, and then we began bouncing over a road of old blond bricks, until even that road ended, and we were parked in front of the place where Mister Rogers is to be buried. It was one of those swords that really isn't a sword at all; it was a big plastic contraption with lights and sound effects, and it was the kind of sword used in defense of the universe by the heroes of the television shows that the little boy liked to watch. The editor isn't looking for a cynical unpacking or a scathing expose, like Lloyd's used to writing; just 400 words that give a wee bit of insight to the man behind that (in Lloyd's words) "hokey kids' show." And so the next morning, we swam together, and then he put on his boxer shorts and the dark socks, and the T-shirt, and the gray trousers, and the belt, and then the white dress shirt and the black bow tie and the gray suit jacket, and about two hours later we were pulling up to the big brick house on Weldon Street in Latrobe, and Mister Rogers was thinking about going inside. He didn't have an umbrella, and he couldn't find a taxi, either, so he ducked with a friend into the subway and got on one of the trains. But A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is just not that movie.This isn't "The Mister Rogers Story," or a biopic like the surreal Elton John biography Rocketman or the rise-of-Dick-Cheney story Vice. '", In fact, Junod's current project is a book about his relationship to his father, Lou Junod. The place was drab and dim, with the smell of stalled air and a stain of daguerreotype sunlight on its closed, slatted blinds, and Mister Rogers looked so at home in its gloomy familiarity that I thought he was going to fall back asleep when suddenly the phone rang, startling him. In 2011 Michelle . I'm not certain; all I know is that my heart felt like a spike, and then, in that room, it opened and felt like an umbrella. The movie, which opens November 22, casts Rogers as an agent of change . He clearly believed in prayer as a way of life. "Looks a bit likeOld Rabbit, doesn't it, Tom? He was wearing beige pants, a blue dress shirt, a tie, dark socks, a pair of dark-blue boating sneakers, and a purple, zippered cardigan. He clearly wanted me to pray. Reading This 1998 Esquire Profile Of Mr. Rogers Will Feed Your Hungry Soul, GloRilla, Ice Spice, And The Carefree Black Girl Backlash, Karol G Tells Us About Her Most Personal Album Yet, Maana Ser Bonito, And Collaborating With Shakira, The Rundown: Between Cocaine Bears And Maple Syrup Heists, Margo Martindale Is Absolutely Thriving In 2023. Im not sure about it. When I handed him back the phone, he said, Bye, my dear, and hung up and curled on the couch like a cat, with his bare calves swirled underneath him and one of his hands gripping his ankle, so that he looked as languorous as an odalisque. Ive had people take issue with that. Considering his popularity, those episodes cannot be that difficult to find. "Oh, Mister Rogers, thank you for my childhood." For my father, everything that was important was visible to the eye. TJ: I think you try to put it together in one person. 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