Undressed: Kevin Slack

By Kelly Peters

Do you rock a suit frequently?

When I have a reason to. Otherwise, I try not to overdo it. But you put on a suit, and you feel great. I always dress up when I fly somewhere just because people will pay attention to you, security won’t screw with you, and you’ll get service pretty quick. I like to pretend it’s still the whole Pan Am thing.

What’s your style in general then?

When I leave in the morning, I just like to feel put-together. My mom describes it as kind of like Brooks Brothers. I like button-down shirts. I like wing-tipped shoes. I don’t wear sweatpants a lot.

What do you plan to do with your TRF major?

I’d like to be some kind of writer for a television show. I’ve done a lot of theater writing, but TV and film is where the money’s at.

Theater writing sounds awesome.

I did musical theater in high school. Here on campus, I’m in an a capella group called Orange Appeal, and I’m involved with First Year Players too, so I still write plays. I just had one produced called Salesman Honey.

What was that about?

It was based on a pitcher who came up for the Nationals in Washington, who everyone thought was going to be the greatest of all time. But he was injured halfway through his first season and was going to have a Tommy

John surgery—where they take a tendon from your knee and put it in your elbow. I took that situation and thought, what if he just decided to retire after that. An easy way to get away with writing plays is to take a situation and change one thing. The nice thing is that I get to make things up to fit my point.

Any particular writers you admire?

My favorite writer of all time, my heaviest influence, is Aaron Sorkin. I actually got to meet him while I was out in L.A. this summer.

Go on.

It’s not a happy story, actually. He was having a party for SU kids at his house, but it wasn’t one of those things where someone brings him out—it was his house. He was sitting by himself, and I finally went over to sit down. It was just a weird moment of “Ok, it’s time to say something.” I noticed that he had a baseball signed by Joe DiMaggio sitting on his bar—people in L.A. just have bars in their houses. I asked: “So, you like baseball?” He goes, “Yes.” We talked for five minutes, and then he said: “Ya know, I’m gonna have to go.” It was just excruciating.

Rough.

Olivia Munn was at this party. She’s been on the cover of Maxim a bunch of times. Talking to her, no problem. Aaron—I just choked. JM