We’re telling a story. And the demands of that are different from the demands of a documentary. The audience must believe in order to keep faith in the story.
I grew up in a family where the internalized understanding was that the kids were going to grow up into a better world. I worry, because I don’t think my kids are going to have that.
In the right situation, acting on television can be extraordinarily satisfying creatively. But that’s incredibly rare. Otherwise, it can be like working in a really remunerative coal mine. That’s the down side.
Aaron is a very passionate, maniacal writer so the scripts really come from him, but he is very open to… y’know, we’ll plan ideas and we’ll certainly tussle about stuff when the script comes out.
Early on in my career I got a part in Revenge Of The Nerds II: Nerds In Paradise. If I hadn’t done that I wouldn’t have met Tim Busfield and if I hadn’t met Tim Busfield, I wouldn’t have met Aaron Sorkin. So Nerds II took me straight to the White House!
I did not always agree, personally, on the positions that Bartlet, character from the West Wing, took and I argued against them on many occasions. But Aaron Sorkin said, “Martin, that’s you, that’s not Barlet.
I identify with this guy’s frustration and inability to control his fury at moments. I even identify with the way that this guy covers up a lot with humour. So yeah, it’s interesting.
Take action. Every story you’ve ever connected with, every leader you’ve ever admired, every puny little thing that you’ve ever accomplished is the result of taking action.
Being an actor, you always feel like you’re swimming upstream. People are going, “No, they don’t like you. They don’t like the way you look. They don’t like how old you are.”
