RJ City no longer feels it’s right to take any credit for Toni Storm’s work under her “Timeless” character.
When Storm initially launched her “Timeless” character, reflecting herself as a Hollywood star from the black-and-white film era, City admits that he helped build up the character. As what he called a “cinema consultant,” he would throw out ideas that could be implemented into Storm’s new gimmick.
But as time went on, Storm further settled into her new character. Now a little over a year past when she first started billing herself as “Timeless,” City believes it’s hard for him to even take much credit anymore.
City explained Storm’s success with the character during an interview on Eyes Up Here with Francine.
“Taking any credit for Toni Storm is so wrong because she’s so fantastic,” he said. “At this point, there’s no character … I would say this: She makes any piece of s*** work because she’s so talented and so committed. I can come up with dumb ideas every day, I do it every Sunday, but it’s her that makes it work. I honestly have not seen anyone so wrapped up in a whole thing that is unique to themselves since, I don’t know, The Undertaker.”
While City won’t take credit for Storm’s work nowadays, he does claim that he played a major role in getting Turner Classic Movies host Be Mankiewicz onboard with introducing some of Storm’s short films.
“In the beginning, I was in a couple of her [Storm’s] films, I introduced them, and I will take credit – despite what Tony Khan wants to say – I will take credit for getting Ben Mankiewicz involved of Turner Classic Movies. That was me because I said ‘Hello, I’m not Ben Mankiewicz’ on Dynamite. And that turned into us being able to work with him, which was the highlight of my life.”
City has previously been credited by Tony Khan as a “right hand” for him helping develop Storm’s character due to his knowledge of film. “He was the only person in the office who’d seen All About Eve and Sunset Boulevard, and he understood old Hollywood and the old movies,” Khan said in July. “He’s been so valuable and tremendous throughout this process.”
City’s full hour-long conversation on Eyes Up Here with Francine can be heard here.
