I choose things that challenge me. I was afraid of the camera - that's why I chose to do 'Private Practice.' It's not like I left the theater.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
I think I was afraid of what I might say when I got onto someone's stage or in front of someone's camera.
The first time I saw 'Private Practice,' I was hooked. The camera work is captivating, the acting is the-best-of-the-best amazing, and each storyline is so interesting and different.
Probably the biggest challenge for me as a director was to not show how scared I was. I was surrounded by some of the most talented people in the industry, and I had to pretend I knew what I was doing.
Because I trained in theater, I always leave a film shoot feeling like I haven't done anything, like I just sat in front of the camera and whispered, essentially.
When I'm challenged, I grow. I never want to be in a situation where I'm not challenged and not afraid. One of my favorite feelings is stepping into a film and knowing that I'm a little bit afraid of what I have to accomplish.
After 2000 or so, I started to realize I wanted to be doing something else. I didn't want to be in front of a camera. I was frustrated. I didn't think I would stop acting, but I didn't want to be seen.
Through film, I realized that was a safe place for me to play. It was a safe place for me to express myself and explore these things that I was afraid to explore in my real life.
It was actually a relief for me to play an actor who was scared, who didn't know where everything was, who didn't know what buttons to push, and for me to be able to play all that.
Theater is a way to keep challenging myself.
I never had the desire to get in front of the camera. It never occurred to me! I always thought I'd be a theater actor.