Several months ago, on October 20th, 2025, I had the pleasure of attending a screening of Guillermo del Toro’s new film, “Frankenstein,” at the Paris Theater in New York City. Guillermo is a supporter of “Chamber Magic,” the magic show I co-created with Steve Cohen, and even wrote the foreword to our coffee table history of the show. He had invited Steve, who in turn brought me. From start to finish, the evening was surreal.

After the film, at a party at Tiffany’s, I spotted Oscar Isaac. He had just played the scientist Victor Frankenstein in the very movie we had all just watched. Of course, Isaac is also famous for playing Poe Dameron in three “Star Wars” films – the man has his own action figure! – but I’m a huge admirer of his work in the Coen Brothers’ masterpiece, “Inside Llewyn Davis.”

The ending of that film is famously ambiguous. Seizing the moment, I asked Issac about it. He was a great sport, but argued for a rather pessimistic conclusion. Citing a couple of scenes from the film, I pushed back, arguing for a happier, more hopeful interpretation of Llewyn’s fate. For a few minutes, I found myself in the bizarre position of debating the meaning of “Inside Llewyn Davis” with Llewyn Davis himself.

Later that evening, I found a moment to speak with our host. “Guillermo,” I said, “today is October 20th. Do you know whose birthday is it?” Guillermo paused, a flicker of consideration in his eyes as he sorted through the vast library of his mind. Finally, he admitted he didn’t know.

“Bela Lugosi!” I announced. “And if Bela were alive today – and who knows, maybe he is – he would be 143.”

A smile spread across Guillermo’s face. “Ah, right! I actually knew that,” he said, “but I’m a Karloff guy.”

In a previous post, I wrote about the power of reduction: the way we’re often pigeonholed by others. But Guillermo’s declaration was different. Here he was labeling himself. Being a “Karloff guy” wasn’t a pigeonhole. It was his chosen identity; a shorthand for his passion. It’s the story he tells himself about who he is.

If you had to reduce the totality of your being down to one happy thing, what might it be?