I was actually fortunate that I never had to have any other job than being an actor. I don't have those odd stories of having to make some money here or there, but certainly there are some credits on my rรฉsumรฉ I wish I hadn't done. It paid my health insurance, and I say that just from a creative standpoint, shows I'm not that proud of, things like that.
Amy RyanSome jobs you do - maybe you don't - are jobs that pay mortgages and some are art and I don't care about not being paid on those.
Amy RyanOne of the great perks of being an actor is you're only as smart as the job you're in, you know, and you're only as informed as the job you're in, and you do become an expert, and you read all the books, but then there's a part of, like, you move on.
Amy RyanI enjoyed learning something and, uh, so I think like with anything in life, in the schoolroom in an artistic endeavor, if you have just a really good teacher, it's inspiring. I certainly use, in my work, I mean, I used to rely heavily on imagery. I was obsessed with this photograph that was in the NY Times of a fish engulfing a smaller fish and this smaller fish had this look in its eyes; it knew what was about to happen and, I don't know how they ever captured such an image, but I've used that for a play I (did). It's called "Saved."
Amy Ryan