About Me, Part 1

I never would have thought that acting was something that I would want to do.  Ever!  I've been in love with movies and television all my life.  Not just as a casual observer, but as someone who was always interested in how movies/shows were made and who made them.  I was always "that guy" who knew an actor and everything else he or she has done, who is connected to who, and who produced what.  I could see a movie once and remember just about every line from it.  My close friends who spend time with me know that when I spout off with some random comment...it's usually an obscure line from a movie or a reference to a film, show, or book.  I spent much of my time working for 9 years at Pricewaterhouse Coopers settling disputes between my co-workers who argued about what movie a line came from or "what movie was it that...?".

In college I decided that I wanted to work in television news.  I interned at NBC in school working as a writer, reporter, and later as a videographer and sports reporter.  After that I was accepted in to the prestigious Syracuse University,Newhouse School of Communications,Broadcast Journalism Program.  After getting my Masters I returned to DC and worked for various television stations:  PBS, Washington Video Productions, Newschannel 8.  All during these years my friends would always tell me that I should go make movies as a producer since I love movies so much.  But I also heard people telling me that I should be an actor since I remembered lines so well and was always doing imitations of the people around me and doing characters to make people laugh.  Because of my shy personality, I was never interested in doing that.  One of the TV stations I worked for wanted me to do some on-camera work.  I was reluctant, but tried it and was very uncomfortable. Not something I wanted to pursue.

Someone suggested taking an acting class to get comfortable speaking in front of people.  I was hesitant, but eventually decided to try a beginning acting class.  That changed everything for me...kind of.

I enrolled in an acting class, not because I wanted to act but to become comfortable in front of a group of people.  I enrolled in the Washington Actors Training Program, probably in '99.  It was a beginning scene study class taught by an experience stage and film actor named Scott Morgan (remember that name, it's important later).  I took the class and then enrolled in the follow up class.  The classes were amazing.  I learned so much about acting and learned that it is harder than it looks.  Scott was a great teacher:  inspiring, creative, fun, but also challenged us.  When the classes ended, I was ready to go back to my normal life having given them a shot. I still didn't feel that acting was for me but the classes were a great experience.  But I do remember Scott saying to me that I should at least watch the Weekend Section of the Washington Post for the open auditions and just give it a shot.  He said he thought I had enough of "whatever" to get some work if I wanted to.  He also said it was the best way to learn.

A year went by.  I still was not interested in acting.  But I got the Weekend Section every Friday to read during downtime at the TV station.  One day I brought it home with me from work.  That Saturday, I was lying in bed thumbing through the Weekend Section.  I had recently gone through a rough breakup with a girl and was down in the dumps, not knowing what to do with myself.  While I read the paper, she called out of the blue.  She wanted to talk about this and that.  I was feeling bad and wanted to get off the phone.  I looked down at the paper and saw an ad for an open audition for A Few Good Men at a local theater.  I told her I was getting off the phone because I was going to audition.

When I got off the phone I thought, "what if she calls back?  Now I have to go!"  I went to the audition, filled out the paper work and waited with about 60 other people.  Then I thought, "I don't want to do this.  This isn't for me.  I'm leaving."  I started walking out the door until I realized I left my jacket inside.  I went back to get it, heard my name called, and said, "Screw it.  I don't know these people.  I'll read, leave, and never think about it again."  I went in a read and then...I wanted to get the part more than anything.  All I wanted was to be called back for another shot.  I got called back for a small role and by default (the other guy called back for the part took another part the next day) got the part.  I did A Few Good Men and by then I was hooked. I had the acting bug.