And I mention it not merely to paint a picture or create a mood. This courtesy toward a journalist isn't what one might expect from a guy like Harder. “Can I get you a glass with some ice?” he inquires. When I opt for one of the bottles of Honest Tea, he not only fetches it for me but then wants to make sure the temperature is to my liking. During the first of our several conversations, he offers me an assortment of healthy snacks sitting out on a credenza. He doles out hotel and restaurant recommendations and tips on beating the traffic to LAX: “I like to play tour guide,” he explains. Indeed, the record should further reflect that Harder is an exceptionally gracious host. Even in his Hugo Boss suit, surrounded by the carefully curated contemporary art he's hung on his law firm's walls, the 47-year-old Harder cuts an unassuming, friendly figure. His smile is pleasant but hardly blinding his complexion is healthy but not vaingloriously so. We are at Harder's law office on Rodeo Drive. “Where does he get off?! I mean, it just bugs me!” “He made it sound like I'm a big fake,” he fumes.
![gawker down gawker down](https://www.snopes.com/tachyon/2016/08/a26.jpg)
This is important to point out because in June, a Forbes article described the Beverly Hills lawyer as possessing a “southern California tan and bleach-white smile.” Now, months later, Harder's still pissed about the characterization. Let the record show that Charles Harder does not whiten his teeth, nor does he make any effort to bronze his skin.