One of my heroes is Mr. Sidney Poitier. In his autobiography, "The Measure of a Man," he talks about the difference between being a great person and being a great actor. I'm happiest when I'm acting, and I've dedicated my life to it. Still, as much as I love acting, at the end of the day, I want to be remembered as a great person, first, and as a great actor, second. I believe that acting is a talent while being a great person encompasses so much more: being a good father, a good husband and the ability to show compassion for others.
Michael EalyOne of my heroes is Mr. Sidney Poitier. In his autobiography, "The Measure of a Man," he talks about the difference between being a great person and being a great actor. I'm happiest when I'm acting, and I've dedicated my life to it. Still, as much as I love acting, at the end of the day, I want to be remembered as a great person, first, and as a great actor, second. I believe that acting is a talent while being a great person encompasses so much more: being a good father, a good husband and the ability to show compassion for others.
Michael EalyWill [Smith] is not like preachy. He's more like lead by example. There's two ways to approach Will. You can follow or you can watch and learn, and I just kind of watched him and learned how he dealt with people, how he dealt with life and how he approaches his own work.
Michael EalyYou have to know your craft. I find that most people who are very, very successful know their craft and have done the research.
Michael EalyMy parents, God bless 'em, were very supportive of me and my decision to pursue acting. Their dream for me and my sister was that we graduate from college. And as soon as I fulfilled that, they were extremely supportive of what I wanted to do next. I will always be grateful to them for that, because I wouldn't be where I am today without their help and encouragement.
Michael EalyMy first heartbreak devastated me, but it was the support of my family and my second family, my church family, that helped me understand that it wasn't my fault, and that everything was going to be alright. That helped me tremendously later in life because in this acting business, there are a lot of things beyond your control.
Michael Ealy