-: Don't be afraid to reach out to the people
who are three or four years older than you,
10 years older than you.
It feeds out ego to get asked for advice.
It gives us a chance to reflect like,
oh man, I've come a long way
in the last year, in the last five years.
I remember when I was 22, I was afraid,
and I knew I knew people who graduated with their MFAs
who had some television and film work
a couple of years older than me here at UVA
that moved to New York, were getting some meaty roles.
I was afraid to say hey what do you think about this?
And do you time for a 20 minute phone call,
can I buy you a cup of coffee?
Two or three times a week I'll get an email
from someone who I might know through a friend
or an introduction through someone, a mutual connection,
and they might reach out and ask me
a whole bunch of questions about
how do you go about getting an agent?
And do you have recommendations of head shots?
How have you adjusted to living in New York?
I'm thinking of moving there.
Any number of questions, and I'm thrilled,
and I'm never too busy to respond to that,
and I think that's a pretty common thing
that we're happy to, obviously to get where we have gotten,
we have had so many favors done,
and so many lucky breaks that we owe something.
If we make our living as an actor, you owe people.
I think we're all born with the ability to play.
I think that's the biggest part of acting,
is not being afraid to look like a fool.
Not be afraid to lose, not be afraid to make a mistake.
Just have the willingness to play,
and then you need the other big skill is listening.
And finally vulnerability, emotional vulnerability.
It's the opening, like the taking off the armor
that we put on in life.
It's the vulnerability it takes to do that
is a muscle that you need to train.