That Guy ... Who Was in That Thing 1 Page #11

---

fulfilling to get to do what

you love to do and get paid

for it.

But when you're making money,

and the gods of Thespis and

the world and economy are

smiling on you, you think,

"I've arrived."

You get a TV series,

and it's like, you know,

you know, it's like backing up

into an ATM.

It's terrific.

Most of us have never made

that kind of money before.

I never made that kind of money

before I got on "prison break."

And I didn't even make a lot

of money on "prison break"

comparatively.

I'd been out here.

I was 15 grand into a credit

card in debt, just paying

groceries and rent and stuff.

I did a movie, "in the company

of men," where I went to

Indiana and shot it in 11 days

for $24,000.

We literally ran out of film.

I borrowed money from my

brother, so I'm an executive

producer on that.

And I went from really not

being able to get in on pilots,

you know, or auditions to,

"oh, the guy from that."

A friend of mine has a

furniture moving company,

he's like, "f***, I'll give you

70 bucks a day or something

like that."

I was like, "all right."

I would schlep furniture into

rich people's houses.

And the next day, literally,

I got "Xena."

Two days later, I'm in new

Zealand, and that was sort of

the beginning of the role.

It came the day after I went,

"all right.

Manual labor.

Here's my pride, take it.

I need a paycheck."

What I have achieved is an

enormous success that, if

I were a lawyer, I may not be

F. Lee Bailey, but I could be

a really successful lawyer,

and everyone doesn't have to

necessarily know my name.

If we were in any other field,

there would be no doubt about

it.

It's just that because Hollywood

has this self-adoration thing

that we only revere that top

0.10% that we forget there's

a whole community of solid

working professionals who also

help to keep this industry

together.

And I think I'm one of them.

It's like when you go to

acting school, they're only--the

only roles they ever give you to

work on are the starring roles

in the most dramatic emotional

scenes among those in that play.

Nobody ever gives--nobody

ever seems to go to work on, how

do you help tell the story?

What's this character do to

help tell the story?

You know, I didn't think

I was leading man material.

I didn't think I was romantic

lead material, but I thought

there were plenty of parts

that were interesting out there

for me.

I don't--I'm not a, you

know, handsome guy, and I'm not

a, you know, I don't have--I'm

a journeyman actor.

I'm a character guy.

And, you know, probably I'm

never going to, you know,

have a big movie career or

you know, get the lead on some

big TV show.

It's just not who I am.

You do this kind of work

because you love it.

But to be honest, it's what

I do.

It's what I said I was going

to do since I was a kid.

Nothing ever happened that

was so devastating that made me

say, "screw this."

If you give up, then I've

given up not only for me but

for all those other, you know,

poor kids who look like me and

haven't--haven't come here yet.

You know, people I've--some

of the best letters I've

received fan mail-wise are

from kids in--all over the

country who say, "you know, Mr.

Worthy, I'm 8 years old.

I'm 9 years old.

I'm 12 years old.

I just saw you on so and so's

show.

One day I would love to be an

actor like you," you know.

And to me, that means more than

what any critic could write

about anything I've ever done

because it means I've affected--

Reached--connected with some

kid who has dreams.

I have a line that I often

thought would be perfect

when I get some award someday,

which would be, "I'd like to

thank all the people who said

no.

You made me try so much harder."

If I got out of business

tomorrow, everything I've--I've

tried to accomplish, I've done.

I'm a little kid.

Every time I go to the movies,

I get my popcorn, and I get my

M&Ms, AND I DUMP THE M&Ms ON

the popcorn, and then shake 'em

up.

Well, I wish I had a little

bungalow out in L.A.,

and I could make a living doing,

you know, pop-ups on TV shows

and occasionally be in a great

movie.

Oh, that's what I have.

It's fantastic, and I laugh

my ass off all day long,

so much so that I'm afraid I'm

gonna get fired.

If I had to pick a category,

that's what I would've picked

in the first place 'cause

that was going to have

the best shot of seeing you

through a life.

I have a great family life

and a lot of time to myself

to do whatever I want and be

with my family, and then I get

to work every once in a while.

I'm lucky.

I'm 75 sitting here, and I'm

still alive.

And working.

I was working yesterday morning.

This is what I do pretty

well, and I only have so many--

So much time on the planet,

my job is to give it away.

I don't need a big ego.

And actually it doesn't help me.

I think maybe if it helped me,

if I needed it, I could--I

could find one.

In the morning, you're an

optimist.

In the afternoon, you're a

pessimist.

In the evening, you know, you

get some sundown syndrome,

and you're a really dark

character, but in the morning,

you wake up, and you're the

optimist again, you know.

When acting is going well,

it's certainly a buzz, man.

It's a--it's a rush, you know,

if it's going well.

Often it's not but--then, you

know, you're in hell.

You can play the villain.

You can play the victim.

You can play the doctor,

the lawyer, the Indian chief.

You don't have to carry a

picture, and you can raise a

family in this town.

I always wanted to emulate

Moliere because he died onstage.

That happened to me, it would be

perfect.

I hope I tell a really

good joke and then die.

[laughs]

It's just now coming to me

that, "yeah, this is something

that I've done my whole life,

40 years almost now, coming up

on."

Just--I don't even want to

think about anything.

I just go and be that guy.

[upbeat music]

[indistinct chatter]

Hey, man.

Good to see you.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes