There Are No Small Parts

The year was 1983, and I was finishing up my last semester at Geneva College.  That's me on the right, acting in Leo Tolstoy's The Power of Darkness. 

Going into the casting process, I was working closely with the director, who was also my advisor in defining and completing this minor.  I had been acting under him since my freshman year, but never been cast in a lead role.  I desperately wanted it.  It was my last chance before I left school.  However, a bald dude two years older than the rest of his class was a non-starter.

I was cast as the male lead's father, a much smaller role.  I wanted to quit, but getting my degree depended on accepting those realities and putting in my best effort.

I was deep into the writings and philosophy of Stanislavski, the father of method acting.  He's the guy who famously said, "There are no small parts, only small actors". I needed to take that to heart.

I dove into the role with passion and fed my sadness and disappointment into it.  I dyed my hair and mustache to match the hair color of the actor in the lead role, interviewed a Russian immigrant, learned the accent, and internalized the effects of aging on a 50-year old Russian peasant.  I put aside my ego and hubris so that I could nail the part.

I got an A and my degree, but gained so much more.

Throughout my career, I've been undervalued for some of the same kinds of reasons.  Pretty people, self-promoters, and egomaniacs seem to run things, get the promotions, bonuses and top-tier salaries.  They are the "stars".   However, even in show business, there's a qualitative difference between a Brad Pitt or a Meryl Streep and a pretty face who spends their entire career doing soaps.

Dedication to craft, fundamentals, and the willingness to stand outside the spotlight to be a part of something special are characteristics that have served me well in my life and career.

 What would you rather be?  A small, but essential part of something amazing, or…?