WEBVTT - 38 - Lance Reddick 0:00:01.010 --> 0:00:02.150 From CurtCo Media. 0:00:02.449 --> 0:00:03.680 There's no place like Hollywood. 0:00:15.380 --> 0:00:18.480 Welcome to another special episode of Hollywood Unscripted: Stuck at 0:00:18.480 --> 0:00:21.150 Home. I'm Jenny Curtis, and I am so delighted to 0:00:21.150 --> 0:00:25.040 have our returning guest cohost Dana Gourrier back with us. 0:00:25.349 --> 0:00:26.439 Welcome back, Dana. 0:00:26.560 --> 0:00:29.520 Thank you, my dear. It is always, always a pleasure, and 0:00:29.720 --> 0:00:32.159 I will come back any time you invite me. I am always 0:00:32.159 --> 0:00:32.760 happy to be here. 0:00:32.970 --> 0:00:36.540 Today's guest has done so much. It would probably take us the whole 0:00:36.540 --> 0:00:39.440 episode just to list his credits, but he's best known 0:00:39.440 --> 0:00:43.190 for his acting work on The Wire, Amazon's Bosch, and 0:00:43.190 --> 0:00:45.970 Comedy Central's Corporate. So we're going to dig into all 0:00:45.970 --> 0:00:48.269 of that and so much more. I am thrilled to 0:00:48.269 --> 0:00:51.800 welcome Lance Reddick. Lance, thank you for joining us. We 0:00:51.800 --> 0:00:53.160 are so happy to have you here today. 0:00:53.440 --> 0:00:53.510 Thank you. 0:00:54.160 --> 0:00:57.730 I absolutely love talking about the creative connections in the 0:00:57.730 --> 0:00:59.820 world. So I really want to start with this because 0:00:59.920 --> 0:01:03.569 Dana and Lance, you both have actually shared projects together 0:01:03.570 --> 0:01:06.910 even though you've never met. Dana was in American Horror 0:01:06.910 --> 0:01:09.910 Story: Coven, and she was in The Domestics, as were 0:01:09.910 --> 0:01:12.190 you, Lance, and I would love to start with those projects. 0:01:12.729 --> 0:01:16.719 Wow. My experience was so vivid on American Horror Story 0:01:17.259 --> 0:01:20.280 because it was the... I don't want to say the only time, 0:01:20.280 --> 0:01:21.750 but it's one of the few times in my career 0:01:21.750 --> 0:01:24.009 where I feel like I almost went back to school 0:01:24.300 --> 0:01:26.660 because my first day was a three- page scene with Jessica 0:01:26.660 --> 0:01:30.059 Lange. And it was really interesting because whenever you work 0:01:30.060 --> 0:01:33.760 with a star like that, at least for myself, I always 0:01:34.089 --> 0:01:36.970 wonder what I'm going to get. I'm a little concerned 0:01:36.970 --> 0:01:40.380 about protecting my work. And two things, first of all, 0:01:40.380 --> 0:01:42.500 I realized very quickly that she's just all about the 0:01:42.500 --> 0:01:44.319 work. So I didn't have to worry about that. But the other 0:01:44.319 --> 0:01:46.429 thing was that it was the last scene of the 0:01:46.530 --> 0:01:50.790 day, and that particular season was her season more than any other season. 0:01:50.920 --> 0:01:56.040 So she was fried. We start the scene, and I 0:01:56.040 --> 0:01:59.740 remember she's kind of doing this ritual, and she's kind 0:01:59.740 --> 0:02:02.730 of mumbling to herself. My character, Papa Legba, he's a 0:02:02.730 --> 0:02:06.480 spirit. He appears halfway through her incantation. So she's in 0:02:06.480 --> 0:02:09.079 the middle of this incantation, and you hear, in the 0:02:09.079 --> 0:02:13.940 next room, somebody drops something. Cut, cut, cut. She starts 0:02:13.940 --> 0:02:17.170 over again. I swear to god, about 30 seconds in, 0:02:17.519 --> 0:02:21.510 we hear clang! Somebody drops something else, and the room is 0:02:21.510 --> 0:02:26.570 quiet. You hear Jessica almost in a whisper, " Jesus Christ, 0:02:27.359 --> 0:02:33.440 when are we going to learn how to lock down a fucking set?" And I was like, "Oh, no. I better not mess up. Jessica Lange is mad." 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:35.079 Oh, my goodness. 0:02:35.079 --> 0:02:37.700 But then it was great. I mean, it was great, 0:02:37.970 --> 0:02:40.380 and the other thing that was interesting because I'm such 0:02:40.380 --> 0:02:43.709 a stickler about being prepared and knowing my lines, when 0:02:43.709 --> 0:02:46.530 you've got that much to do, and you're working hours 0:02:46.530 --> 0:02:49.269 that long, you got a three- page scene, sometimes you're 0:02:49.269 --> 0:02:51.340 going to go up on your lines. And the thing that I don't 0:02:51.340 --> 0:02:53.940 remember ever seeing before was that when she went up on her 0:02:53.940 --> 0:02:57.209 lines, she would just keep going. What was amazing to 0:02:57.209 --> 0:02:59.139 me about it was that her going up on her lines 0:02:59.320 --> 0:03:01.900 never took her out of it. She still stayed in it as 0:03:01.900 --> 0:03:05.630 the character. The other thing was, being a theater actor, even 0:03:05.630 --> 0:03:08.570 though you're always looking for something spontaneous on every take, once 0:03:08.570 --> 0:03:10.529 you find it, you're still pretty much trying to do the same 0:03:10.530 --> 0:03:14.320 thing. And I noticed that she was finding a little thing, because in some 0:03:14.320 --> 0:03:16.649 ways, she's more quintessentially a film actor than anything else, 0:03:16.910 --> 0:03:20.350 and I noticed how nuanced and different every single take 0:03:20.350 --> 0:03:23.109 was. It was really fascinating to watch. It was really educational. 0:03:23.410 --> 0:03:26.510 Then, of course, Kathy Bates is one of my idols. So that day was just nerve- 0:03:26.510 --> 0:03:29.169 wracking, and the same thing with Angela Bassett. 0:03:29.600 --> 0:03:33.010 I also had a similar Jessica Lange experience. She was 0:03:33.010 --> 0:03:35.540 so wonderful and kind and humble to me, and she was 0:03:35.540 --> 0:03:38.730 so sweet. But I saw her rip someone a new 0:03:38.730 --> 0:03:41.790 one that was just not on point, and they needed 0:03:41.790 --> 0:03:44.590 to be, and they were after that. And I just remember thinking, " 0:03:45.190 --> 0:03:45.891 That's a boss lady." 0:03:45.890 --> 0:03:47.740 Wow. Wow. Wow, wow, wow. 0:03:48.010 --> 0:03:51.620 It was like watching a queen on her throne. Then 0:03:51.660 --> 0:03:55.510 there's also a fantastic grace and attitude that she had, 0:03:55.510 --> 0:03:57.850 which was just about the work. She was just about 0:03:57.850 --> 0:04:00.610 executing what needed to be done. That's literally one of 0:04:00.610 --> 0:04:02.330 the highlights of my career thus far, is getting to 0:04:02.330 --> 0:04:06.629 work with her and Angela, obviously, also Gabby Sidibe. That's 0:04:06.630 --> 0:04:08.780 where she and I met, and that's where we forged 0:04:08.780 --> 0:04:10.720 our friendship. We're still good friends to this day. 0:04:10.780 --> 0:04:13.450 She's something else. What an intellect, too. 0:04:14.580 --> 0:04:16.890 People don't realize it, or they realize it when they 0:04:16.890 --> 0:04:19.909 meet her, within a few minutes. But I told her 0:04:19.909 --> 0:04:22.439 just the other night. I said, " Have you been tested, 0:04:22.440 --> 0:04:24.640 girl? You might be a little genius." And she was 0:04:24.800 --> 0:04:27.370 like, "Hm, I don't know." I was like, " Easily, yeah, you are." 0:04:27.370 --> 0:04:33.390 So we chuckled about that. She's like, "I'm just me, girl." I'm like, " You're 0:04:33.390 --> 0:04:38.039 also a genius." So that's fun. But that time was wonderful 0:04:38.039 --> 0:04:40.099 on American Horror Story, and I do remember your role 0:04:40.140 --> 0:04:45.460 quite prominently because weird stuff started happening. Your character ushered 0:04:45.460 --> 0:04:48.760 in a sort of spirit realm that was really freaky. 0:04:49.310 --> 0:04:51.289 I'm from New Orleans. We don't play with any of 0:04:51.289 --> 0:04:51.819 that stuff. 0:04:51.830 --> 0:04:53.789 Oh. Wow. 0:04:53.890 --> 0:04:56.729 Also, the local folks that they had hired to come 0:04:56.729 --> 0:05:00.049 in and do the ritual practices with us, they made 0:05:00.050 --> 0:05:02.299 us pray with them prior to, at least in the 0:05:02.300 --> 0:05:04.520 scenes that I was in and some of the episodes that I 0:05:04.520 --> 0:05:07.159 had done. And I really appreciated that they asked us 0:05:07.159 --> 0:05:10.630 to humbly bow our heads and respect what was being 0:05:10.630 --> 0:05:12.299 done because it's not a game. It's not just for 0:05:12.300 --> 0:05:16.089 Hollywood film and television. It's a real thing to them. 0:05:16.089 --> 0:05:18.529 So we had to pay homage and reverence, which I 0:05:18.529 --> 0:05:20.670 really appreciated because you don't want to make nobody mad. 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:22.539 Oh, man. That is so cool. 0:05:22.940 --> 0:05:27.409 Yeah, it was interesting. It was with Sarah Paulson. There was 0:05:27.409 --> 0:05:29.669 a goat that had to be sacrificed all over her, 0:05:30.130 --> 0:05:32.869 and it was very messy and very grotesque and everything. 0:05:32.870 --> 0:05:34.400 But she was a champ and- 0:05:34.400 --> 0:05:34.999 She is, yeah. 0:05:35.279 --> 0:05:39.110 She's amazing. That's my girl. She's so amazing. I love Sarah. 0:05:39.589 --> 0:05:41.279 I didn't work with her in that season, but they 0:05:41.279 --> 0:05:43.359 had me come back for a cameo a couple seasons 0:05:43.359 --> 0:05:44.431 later, and I did work with her. 0:05:44.431 --> 0:05:47.870 I want to go back really quick to working across Jessica Lange. You 0:05:47.870 --> 0:05:50.740 guys both strike me as you're about the work. So 0:05:50.810 --> 0:05:53.669 being across from someone at that level of her career 0:05:53.669 --> 0:05:56.229 who also is all about the work, does it affect 0:05:56.229 --> 0:05:58.849 the way you approach your own work? Or is it 0:05:58.849 --> 0:06:01.010 kind of matching the energy you already have? 0:06:01.320 --> 0:06:03.849 I'm going to jump in really quick, Lance, because I'm not 0:06:03.849 --> 0:06:06.690 on Lance's level at all. And that's not to impugn 0:06:06.690 --> 0:06:09.260 my level. I consider myself a blue- collar actor. So, when 0:06:09.400 --> 0:06:12.979 I'm considered a local hire, or at least I was 0:06:12.979 --> 0:06:15.060 because now I'm based in Los Angeles. Before, when I 0:06:15.060 --> 0:06:17.620 was working in New Orleans and a local hire, people 0:06:17.620 --> 0:06:19.690 did treat you a different way, and you knew you 0:06:19.690 --> 0:06:22.539 were a supporting character. So you kind of understood the 0:06:22.539 --> 0:06:26.950 hierarchy of set life, if you will. Even still, I 0:06:26.950 --> 0:06:30.680 always watched what the greats were doing. I always take 0:06:30.680 --> 0:06:35.809 cues from them, and I let them dictate the temperature 0:06:35.810 --> 0:06:38.320 and the culture of the set. And if they're talkative 0:06:38.320 --> 0:06:40.659 and they're open, great. If not, I just kind of 0:06:40.659 --> 0:06:41.820 follow their lead. 0:06:42.039 --> 0:06:44.169 So, Lance, does that then affect you the way you 0:06:44.169 --> 0:06:47.419 approach your own work, or is your method set and 0:06:47.500 --> 0:06:50.250 some people fit better than others into your method of acting? 0:06:50.250 --> 0:06:55.159 Fit better than others... Just a little point, I don't change my preparation based on who 0:06:55.159 --> 0:06:58.710 I'm working with. It's weird to say, but in terms of how 0:06:58.710 --> 0:07:01.710 I see myself as an actor, pretty much from the 0:07:01.710 --> 0:07:04.430 time I got out of drama school, I just always thought of myself as a great 0:07:04.430 --> 0:07:08.020 actor. So, in terms of the work, that never bothered 0:07:08.020 --> 0:07:10.730 me. So, when I work with people, I may be 0:07:10.730 --> 0:07:14.660 nervous to meet the person, but once the camera starts 0:07:14.660 --> 0:07:18.060 rolling, it's just about locking in and doing the work, do you 0:07:18.060 --> 0:07:18.520 know what I mean? 0:07:18.530 --> 0:07:18.540 Mm-hmm (affirmative). 0:07:18.989 --> 0:07:21.660 Now, sometimes I may get (inaudible) . Perfect example is 0:07:21.660 --> 0:07:24.350 with Kathy Bates because, like I said, she's one of my 0:07:24.350 --> 0:07:26.950 idols. When I got out of drama school, it was Meryl Streep, 0:07:26.950 --> 0:07:29.860 Marlon Brando, Daniel Day- Lewis, and Kathy Bates. So, when 0:07:29.860 --> 0:07:32.980 I met her, and the scene that I had with 0:07:33.070 --> 0:07:36.610 her... I got there on a Sunday. My first scene 0:07:36.610 --> 0:07:41.100 was on a Monday. I think it was the second episode that I did. And somebody 0:07:41.100 --> 0:07:44.220 said to me something about the scene that I had 0:07:44.220 --> 0:07:49.220 with Angela and Kathy, and I said, " What scene with 0:07:49.520 --> 0:07:51.929 Angela and Kathy?" They said, " Oh, yeah, we're shooting it 0:07:51.930 --> 0:07:57.550 tomorrow. This is the writing." I said, " What?" So it ended up 0:07:57.550 --> 0:08:00.239 being this three- page scene. I don't know if it 0:08:00.239 --> 0:08:04.260 was the last scene or it was the penultimate scene. It's hard 0:08:04.260 --> 0:08:07.019 to remember, but I think Kathy's dead, and she's in 0:08:07.060 --> 0:08:09.420 hell. And she ends up having to be tortured by 0:08:09.420 --> 0:08:12.290 Angela's character. So I get the scene in the afternoon, 0:08:12.940 --> 0:08:15.910 and I'm trying to look at it in between setups. 0:08:15.920 --> 0:08:15.929 Oh, my gosh. 0:08:16.610 --> 0:08:20.069 And they did the scripts on red paper with black 0:08:20.150 --> 0:08:23.150 ink so that it would be hard to copy because 0:08:23.150 --> 0:08:25.460 they were so anal about secrecy. 0:08:25.470 --> 0:08:26.350 Oh, that's right. 0:08:26.350 --> 0:08:29.750 Well, I was wearing red contacts, trying to read stuff 0:08:29.750 --> 0:08:32.989 on red paper in the dark because it was getting dark 0:08:34.020 --> 0:08:36.199 for a scene that was the next day that was a three- page scene 0:08:36.199 --> 0:08:39.839 with me and Angela Bassett and Kathy Bates. So I wrapped, 0:08:40.000 --> 0:08:42.540 went home to study, took a nap, studied, took a nap, 0:08:42.540 --> 0:08:46.179 and I was up and down all night doing that. So, 0:08:46.319 --> 0:08:48.920 when we got to set that evening, we kind of 0:08:48.920 --> 0:08:52.209 stumbled through the scene because we were all learning the 0:08:52.209 --> 0:08:54.350 scene. But the thing about it is I had to work in 0:08:54.350 --> 0:08:57.670 the morning, and they didn't. So we stumbled through the 0:08:57.670 --> 0:09:00.380 master. Then I remember the director said, " Who wants to 0:09:00.400 --> 0:09:03.959 go first with closeups?" It was so funny because me and Angela both 0:09:03.959 --> 0:09:08.880 did this. And Kathy looked at us, and she said, " Fuck it, I'll 0:09:08.880 --> 0:09:12.380 go first." The thing about the scene was that Kathy had a two- 0:09:12.380 --> 0:09:17.739 page monologue before my character enters. So they shot that first. I'm 0:09:17.740 --> 0:09:20.709 in my chair trying to learn my lines, and I'm 0:09:20.709 --> 0:09:22.610 watching the crew go by. And after every one of 0:09:22.610 --> 0:09:24.790 her takes, the crew were just shaking their head, going, " 0:09:25.010 --> 0:09:27.900 Wow." So, then, I'm thinking, " Man, I can't afford to 0:09:27.900 --> 0:09:30.120 get distracted. I can't afford to get distracted, but it's Kathy Bates. I've got to see what 0:09:30.750 --> 0:09:32.479 she's doing." So I went over to one of the 0:09:32.480 --> 0:09:35.469 monitors in video village, and I'm watching her do her 0:09:35.470 --> 0:09:39.239 thing. It's Kathy Bates. She was breathtaking. She was stunning. 0:09:39.490 --> 0:09:41.380 My heart kind of dropped into my stomach because I'm thinking, " 0:09:41.660 --> 0:09:43.449 Oh, my god. Oh, my god, oh, my god, oh, 0:09:43.449 --> 0:09:45.880 my god. I am so screwed. I am so fucking screwed." And 0:09:45.880 --> 0:09:49.629 then it was like, " No, no, no. Just keep focused. Just keep focused. Keep running lines. Keep running 0:09:49.630 --> 0:09:53.179 lines. Keep running lines." Finally, they finished that part of the scene, and they're 0:09:53.179 --> 0:09:55.579 changing the setup. So the three of us are running 0:09:55.579 --> 0:09:58.010 the lines. The first time we go to run the 0:09:58.010 --> 0:10:00.760 lines, we get to my lines, and I'm in my little 0:10:00.760 --> 0:10:03.969 method thing trying to find the character. And Kathy says, " What? Speak up. I can't hear you." I'm like... 0:10:05.730 --> 0:10:13.380 So I raise my voice. Then, at one point, one 0:10:13.380 --> 0:10:17.189 of the PAs says, " Ms. Bates, they're ready for you." She said, "Well, hold on. We got 0:10:17.189 --> 0:10:19.170 to learn these lines." So we run it some more, 0:10:19.270 --> 0:10:22.001 and then the PA interrupts again, and Kathy yells, (foreign language) 0:10:22.001 --> 0:10:25.660 . I'm like, " Ooh," even though she didn't even say what... 0:10:25.660 --> 0:10:30.699 in French. But, anyway, I'm thinking, " Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man." So we set up 0:10:30.699 --> 0:10:33.910 for Kathy's closeup, and I enter. I have a paragraph, 0:10:34.510 --> 0:10:37.429 and in the middle of a sentence, I just went 0:10:37.429 --> 0:10:41.130 up. And all I'm thinking is, " Oh, my god. I'm 0:10:41.130 --> 0:10:44.609 going up on Kathy Bates. I'm going up on Kathy Bates' closeup." To this day, 0:10:44.709 --> 0:10:47.150 I don't know how I did it. I just kept 0:10:47.260 --> 0:10:49.829 talking until I got through it, and it was fine. 0:10:50.010 --> 0:10:51.890 And the funny thing about it is, when it came 0:10:51.890 --> 0:10:54.150 to my closeup, we ran out of time so we 0:10:54.150 --> 0:10:57.089 had to go to another day. So I had to leave and come back, 0:10:57.300 --> 0:10:58.999 and by then it was fine. But that was quite an 0:10:59.000 --> 0:10:59.309 experience. 0:10:59.600 --> 0:11:03.329 That's incredible. Don't you love hearing stuff like that, Jenny, these 0:11:03.329 --> 0:11:07.969 seasoned, outstanding, incredible actors like, " Oh, shit, I went up 0:11:07.969 --> 0:11:11.860 on my lines"? There's something so magical for us, hearing 0:11:11.860 --> 0:11:14.380 that from someone who has so many credits that you have, 0:11:14.740 --> 0:11:18.990 who's such a consummate professional. It's, to me, it's inspiring, 0:11:19.140 --> 0:11:21.910 and it reminds you we're all human beings. Calm down. You'll 0:11:21.910 --> 0:11:24.819 get the work done. Relax. Everybody, in some way, feels 0:11:24.819 --> 0:11:27.160 this way, even Kathy Bates herself, probably. 0:11:27.429 --> 0:11:29.379 She's funny, too. This is another funny story about Kathy 0:11:30.030 --> 0:11:33.002 because as a personality, she's diametrically opposed. She's (inaudible) 0:11:33.949 --> 0:11:38.079 from Jessica. She's just loud and forceful. So we're walking 0:11:38.079 --> 0:11:40.420 back to the trailers after we finished the scene, and 0:11:40.420 --> 0:11:42.410 she said, " So how you like it? You having a good time?" 0:11:42.569 --> 0:11:45.280 And I said, " Yeah, it's great." She said, " Yeah, because you never know with fucking 0:11:45.280 --> 0:11:45.679 TV, man." 0:11:48.339 --> 0:11:52.859 It's true, though. You never know. Yeah, everybody's winging it 0:11:52.860 --> 0:11:53.330 a little bit. 0:11:53.980 --> 0:11:55.699 I want to jump on to the fact that you 0:11:55.699 --> 0:11:57.980 said you always knew you were a great actor, which 0:11:57.980 --> 0:12:01.109 you are. But I read that you applied to Yale 0:12:01.110 --> 0:12:03.840 School of Drama on a lark. Is there a story there? 0:12:03.949 --> 0:12:06.610 Yeah, there is. I mean, my whole journey as an 0:12:06.610 --> 0:12:08.439 actor is kind of weird because I didn't grow up 0:12:08.439 --> 0:12:10.999 thinking I'd be doing this. If there was a thing that 0:12:11.000 --> 0:12:14.270 was my thing growing up, it was music. I did a play in high school. 0:12:14.480 --> 0:12:17.760 My senior year, I was in Fiorello! I played the 0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:20.599 dealer in a card game. I think I had one line. It was the only thing I ever did just 0:12:21.089 --> 0:12:22.829 for fun. So I decided I was going to pursue it 0:12:22.829 --> 0:12:26.649 in college. I did productions in college for fun. I went to 0:12:27.199 --> 0:12:29.790 the Eastman School of Music. My first year, I actually was at the University 0:12:29.790 --> 0:12:31.920 of Rochester, and I transferred, but I'd go over to the campus 0:12:33.240 --> 0:12:35.510 and do a play once a year. I dropped out of music 0:12:35.510 --> 0:12:37.599 school because I realized that I didn't want to be a classical 0:12:37.780 --> 0:12:39.939 composer. I wanted to be a rock star. I got 0:12:39.939 --> 0:12:43.449 married straight out of school, and about a year after my 0:12:43.449 --> 0:12:45.240 daughter was born, I had a back injury. At the 0:12:45.240 --> 0:12:47.520 time, I was waiting tables, and I was delivering newspapers, and 0:12:47.520 --> 0:12:51.680 I was delivering pizzas. So I was always working (inaudible) . So 0:12:51.750 --> 0:12:54.449 I just started thinking, " Man, I need to reevaluate my 0:12:54.469 --> 0:12:57.250 approach. I need to do something different or I'm going to be doing this for 0:12:57.250 --> 0:12:59.779 the rest of my life." So my brilliant thinking, " I'll 0:12:59.780 --> 0:13:00.339 be an actor." 0:13:00.339 --> 0:13:02.300 Because it's way more stable of a career. 0:13:02.300 --> 0:13:05.140 Then I'll have my music career. It was even about I wanted 0:13:05.370 --> 0:13:07.540 to be an actor. It was like, " What can I do to have my music career? 0:13:07.540 --> 0:13:10.120 I'll act." I was living in Boston at the time. 0:13:10.209 --> 0:13:13.660 So I started going on local theater auditions and just getting 0:13:13.660 --> 0:13:16.449 cast and getting cast and getting cast. One of the things that I did, my go- 0:13:16.449 --> 0:13:19.280 to fallback job was working as an artist's model because there are 0:13:19.400 --> 0:13:21.329 just so many schools and so many art schools in 0:13:21.329 --> 0:13:24.189 Boston. One of the places I modeled at was this place called the Museum 0:13:24.189 --> 0:13:26.439 School. And there was a guy who liked me from the 0:13:26.439 --> 0:13:28.559 beginning, and I modeled for a lot of his drawing 0:13:28.559 --> 0:13:31.880 classes. His name was Lou Geppetti, and about a year 0:13:31.880 --> 0:13:34.309 into that, he started painting me privately. He had this 0:13:34.589 --> 0:13:37.650 huge studio in this warehouse down by the railroad tracks. 0:13:38.050 --> 0:13:40.379 I would go there, and I would just sit for three hours. I 0:13:40.380 --> 0:13:43.170 was wearing these green khaki pants and this football jersey 0:13:43.290 --> 0:13:45.449 from high school that I had. I would sit in the chair. He 0:13:45.449 --> 0:13:47.360 would paint me for three hours at a time, and we would 0:13:47.469 --> 0:13:50.250 just talk. And one day, we got on to the subject of training as an 0:13:50.250 --> 0:13:53.610 actor. In my infinite arrogance, I said, " Oh, you don't 0:13:53.610 --> 0:13:55.240 need to train. You just learn as you go," even 0:13:55.240 --> 0:13:57.989 though I knew that that was bullshit because I was starting 0:13:57.990 --> 0:14:00.230 to realize that the bigger the roles, the more trouble I 0:14:00.230 --> 0:14:02.519 was having because I didn't have any technique. If the script 0:14:02.520 --> 0:14:05.510 was bad or the director was bad, I was lost. And I didn't want to go 0:14:05.510 --> 0:14:07.579 to New York City, The Actors Studio. The only place 0:14:07.579 --> 0:14:09.660 I'd even consider is Yale, and I couldn't get into 0:14:09.660 --> 0:14:12.990 Yale because I never finished my bachelor's degree. And the only reason I 0:14:12.990 --> 0:14:14.929 said that bullshit was because of Meryl Streep. That the 0:14:15.170 --> 0:14:18.440 only thing I knew. I just knew Meryl Streep went there. Then he says to me, " 0:14:18.520 --> 0:14:22.660 Well, you might want to consider it because I have my master's in 0:14:22.770 --> 0:14:25.690 painting from Yale. And I don't have a bachelor's degree because I 0:14:25.690 --> 0:14:28.609 went to a diploma school." So I said, " Oh," and to 0:14:28.700 --> 0:14:30.900 this day, I don't know why that stuck in my 0:14:30.900 --> 0:14:33.680 head or what possessed me. But I ended up calling 0:14:33.680 --> 0:14:36.950 up information for the drama school and calling the admissions 0:14:36.950 --> 0:14:38.560 office and asking them. They said, " Oh, yeah, you can 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:41.020 apply as a certificate student, and if you get in, 0:14:41.020 --> 0:14:42.920 you can just go through this program with everybody else as 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:44.950 a certificate student. You'll get a certificate instead of a 0:14:45.100 --> 0:14:47.840 diploma at the end. And if you ever finish your bachelor's degree, all 0:14:47.840 --> 0:14:51.130 you have to do is send up proof that you have your bachelor's, and we'll convert it to a 0:14:51.130 --> 0:14:54.760 master's." So, really, it was my fallback plan. I applied, 0:14:54.760 --> 0:14:56.910 and then I got in. Then it was like, " Oh, shit. What do I do 0:14:56.910 --> 0:15:01.180 now?" My wife at the time, when I applied, she thought I was crazy. But 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:02.531 then, when I got in, she was like, " You got to go." 0:15:02.531 --> 0:15:02.701 Absolutely. 0:15:02.800 --> 0:15:05.690 And every actor I talked to said the same thing. The 0:15:05.690 --> 0:15:08.930 only people who said I shouldn't was the casting director. " Just 0:15:08.930 --> 0:15:11.359 go to L. A. and make movies." Yeah, because that's how that works. 0:15:11.520 --> 0:15:12.500 You can't turn Yale down. 0:15:12.540 --> 0:15:16.150 Yeah. So, 29 years old, with a three- year- old, married, 0:15:16.150 --> 0:15:18.489 I went to Yale Drama School, and it changed my life. 0:15:18.850 --> 0:15:19.119 Do you have a favorite speech warmup? 0:15:19.370 --> 0:15:25.210 A favorite speech warmup? No. I have a vocal warmup 0:15:25.210 --> 0:15:25.640 that I do. 0:15:25.870 --> 0:15:27.171 What's the vocal warmup that you do? 0:15:27.171 --> 0:15:31.139 Well, it's not like I can do it because it's a gradual thing. I just start 0:15:31.140 --> 0:15:35.310 with a tone, and I go as long as I 0:15:35.310 --> 0:15:37.499 can hold it. And I'll keep going up and up and up, and then I'll 0:15:37.500 --> 0:15:40.620 do that for five minutes. Then I'll pick a song, and I'll 0:15:40.620 --> 0:15:43.460 put it on, that's usually maybe four minutes. I'll make 0:15:43.460 --> 0:15:46.030 sure it's something that makes me stretch my range, and 0:15:46.030 --> 0:15:48.160 then I'll sing that. So I open up my chest 0:15:48.330 --> 0:15:50.960 so that, on one hand, it keeps my voice grounded, 0:15:50.960 --> 0:15:52.590 but on the other hand, it forces me to put 0:15:52.590 --> 0:15:54.410 it forward, as well, so that it's in my mask, 0:15:54.710 --> 0:15:54.850 you know what I mean? 0:15:55.290 --> 0:15:55.380 Yeah. 0:15:55.380 --> 0:15:57.779 Because one of the things I discovered... The further on in 0:15:57.890 --> 0:16:00.769 my career I got, I started getting into the habit, 0:16:01.300 --> 0:16:04.670 and I started realizing in on Fringe, of not being 0:16:04.670 --> 0:16:06.749 on my voice. Part of the reason I realized it 0:16:06.830 --> 0:16:09.609 is because John Noble's voice is so deep and resonant. 0:16:10.020 --> 0:16:11.830 There would be days when I would be on my voice, and there would 0:16:11.830 --> 0:16:13.360 be days when I wouldn't be on it. I wouldn't know 0:16:13.410 --> 0:16:15.340 why, and I realized I needed to start to vocalizing again. I needed to go back to basics. So that's something I do. 0:16:15.340 --> 0:16:29.100 A Moment of Your Time, a new podcast from CurtCo Media. 0:16:29.100 --> 0:16:32.491 I'm currently 21 years old, and today I'm going to read a poem for you. 0:16:32.491 --> 0:16:35.171 It felt like magic extended from her fingertips down to the base of my spine. 0:16:35.171 --> 0:16:38.220 You have to take care of yourself because the world needs you and your voice. 0:16:38.220 --> 0:16:40.729 Trust me. Every do- gooder that asked about me was ready 0:16:40.729 --> 0:16:41.460 to spit on my dream. 0:16:43.780 --> 0:16:43.781 Like her fingers were facing me. 0:16:43.781 --> 0:16:46.131 It can feel like your purpose and your worth is really being questioned. 0:16:46.131 --> 0:16:48.540 Ain't going to stop me from playing the piano. 0:16:48.540 --> 0:16:51.330 She buys walkie- talkies, wonders to whom she should give 0:16:51.330 --> 0:16:51.900 the second device. 0:16:52.030 --> 0:16:54.789 Pets don't love humans. We never did. We never will. 0:16:54.790 --> 0:16:56.002 We just find ones that (crosstalk) . 0:16:56.002 --> 0:16:58.690 The beauty of rock climbing is that you can only focus on 0:16:58.690 --> 0:16:58.991 what's right in front of you. 0:16:58.991 --> 0:17:02.440 And so our American life begins. 0:17:03.470 --> 0:17:06.739 We may need to stay apart, but let's create together. 0:17:07.149 --> 0:17:11.700 Available on all podcast platforms. Submit your piece at curtco. com/ 0:17:11.780 --> 0:17:26.210 amomentofyourtime. So your first role in TV was a Dick 0:17:26.210 --> 0:17:28.850 Wolf show, right, New York Undercover? Is that correct, that was your 0:17:29.310 --> 0:17:30.030 first role in TV? 0:17:30.100 --> 0:17:35.560 Well, actually, no. That was my first role after I 0:17:35.720 --> 0:17:38.080 graduated from Yale. But believe it or not, I had 0:17:38.080 --> 0:17:40.800 a day player role as a local hire when I was living 0:17:40.800 --> 0:17:43.970 in Boston on one of Fox's first dramatic shows ever. 0:17:43.970 --> 0:17:47.090 It was called... Man, I hate saying that because this is telling you how old I am. 0:17:47.550 --> 0:17:52.490 This is back in 1990, and it was called Against 0:17:52.490 --> 0:17:56.369 the Law. It was starring Michael O'Keefe, and the guest 0:17:56.369 --> 0:17:59.209 star was Keith David. So Michael O'Keefe is this attorney 0:17:59.450 --> 0:18:02.240 in this big law firm. He decides he wants to work 0:18:02.240 --> 0:18:03.470 for the people. So he opens up his own law firm. It 0:18:04.750 --> 0:18:07.480 was a flashback scene because Keith David was on death 0:18:07.480 --> 0:18:09.550 row. A cop went to arrest him, and he got 0:18:09.550 --> 0:18:12.129 afraid. So he resisted, and then they (inaudible) for the gun, 0:18:12.409 --> 0:18:15.080 and I think it was a mistaken identity thing. And he ended up 0:18:15.080 --> 0:18:17.470 shooting the cop by accident. So he ended up being convicted 0:18:17.470 --> 0:18:20.680 for murder. I played Michael O'Keefe's co- counsel in the original 0:18:20.710 --> 0:18:23.970 trial and (inaudible) . So that's actually my first credit. 0:18:24.369 --> 0:18:26.510 But New York Undercover was my first credit after Yale. 0:18:26.780 --> 0:18:27.590 It's probably the first one on IMDB. 0:18:28.419 --> 0:18:31.990 Either way, I'd love to hear about what, emotionally, a 0:18:31.990 --> 0:18:35.260 first day professionally on set is compared to where you 0:18:35.260 --> 0:18:37.070 are now, how things have changed. 0:18:37.450 --> 0:18:41.159 That happened two years after I graduated. My first job 0:18:41.159 --> 0:18:43.200 out of school, I was understudying on Broadway. I did 0:18:43.200 --> 0:18:46.109 that for the first six months after school. Then, almost immediately, 0:18:46.369 --> 0:18:48.850 I got cast in an off- Broadway play at Manhattan 0:18:48.850 --> 0:18:51.470 Theatre Club that then later moved off Broadway to another 0:18:51.470 --> 0:18:53.689 theater and ran for a year. I'd just been doing theater 0:18:53.690 --> 0:18:57.279 straight for like five years. So I get on set, immediately 0:18:57.280 --> 0:18:59.139 I'm going to go into my theater thing and my 0:18:59.139 --> 0:19:02.550 Brando thing. And I remember the first scene that I 0:19:02.550 --> 0:19:04.590 shot was the first scene that I had in the show. 0:19:04.840 --> 0:19:08.340 It's when Malik Yoba and Lauren... I can't remember their characters' names. 0:19:08.580 --> 0:19:10.929 They come to tell me that my son's been killed. In 0:19:10.929 --> 0:19:14.560 rehearsal, there were two things that happened. Number one, we 0:19:14.560 --> 0:19:17.730 rehearsed it a couple times, and the script supervisor said, " 0:19:17.970 --> 0:19:20.859 Oh, in the last rehearsal, you did such- and- such- and- 0:19:20.859 --> 0:19:23.060 such. You did something different. Which are you going to do?" I said, " Well, I don't know. 0:19:24.619 --> 0:19:27.739 It depends on... And she said, "Oh, but it has to 0:19:27.740 --> 0:19:29.770 match." I said, " What do you mean, it has to match?" 0:19:31.260 --> 0:19:35.119 She said, " For editing, once you do a behavior, you have 0:19:35.119 --> 0:19:38.320