![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Photo-1-OQuinn.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAt first, they were hesitant to speak\u2014likely overcome with a mix of nerves and awe.<\/p>\n
Who could blame them?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not every day that a famous television and film actor walks into your first block theatre class to take questions and discuss his career. However, Terry O\u2019Quinn, 2007 Emmy Award winner for his work as John Locke on the television series \u201cLost,\u201d visited Landstown High School Sept. 28 to do just that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would have liked high school a lot better if people clapped like that every time I came into a room,\u201d said O\u2019Quinn to the more than 70 students gathered in the school\u2019s schola.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Thanks to outreach by Terri Gayer, Landstown High School theatre teacher and director, O\u2019Quinn accepted the invitation to speak to students from her cinema studies, performance theatre, studio theatre and introduction to theatre classes. A few star stuck staff members joined the audience as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it would be a wonderful idea to invite practitioners of film from our community to come and talk to you about what it is that they do best,\u201d Gayer told students as she introduced O\u2019Quinn. \u201cWe\u2019re very thankful that he\u2019s able to be here today to share his vast experience with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quinn, who resides in Virginia Beach between filming engagements, began with a question.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright. How do we start? I haven\u2019t done this before.\u201d<\/p>\n
He started with his own memories of high school and his inspiration to pursue acting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was in high school in the upper peninsula of Michigan in a very small town. We didn\u2019t have a theatre department in our school. We didn\u2019t have acting. Before I was a senior, they had a senior play but it was an opportunity for the popular kids to put on makeup and scarves and misbehave on stage. That was pretty much our theatre experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cI remember watching films when I was in high school. There is one I always reference; it was called \u2018Romeo and Juliet.\u2019 It was a movie made by Franco Zeffirelli in the 60s. It was particularly powerful for me because there was a girl named Olivia Hussey who played Juliet who was beautiful. I just wanted to keep watching that film. It occurred to me that somewhere<\/em> this was happening. That somewhere<\/em> people were making these films. It wasn\u2019t happening in my town or anywhere I could see from where I was. Then I went to college. I went to Central Michigan University and I saw there were auditions for a play called \u2018Henry IV, Part I.\u2019 It was by Shakespeare as was \u2018Romeo and Juliet.\u2019 I thought I would go and audition. I had no experience and I didn\u2019t know anything about it but I went in and I auditioned. I think because I could stand up straight and look like a guy and talk loud enough, they cast me in the play and that was it. After that, I felt like, wow, I think these are my people.\u201d<\/p>\n He earned an acting scholarship to attend the University of Iowa where a New York director saw him on stage.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said, \u2018You\u2019re very good. Why don\u2019t you come with me? We\u2019re going to go Williamstown Theatre Festival,\u2019 which I\u2019m sure none of you have heard of; I hadn\u2019t heard of it at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Quinn described how the director introduced him to an agent and he began seeking theatre work in New York and along the East coast while sleeping on the floors of friends\u2019 apartments and trying to make ends meet.<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t lie to you,\u201d O\u2019Quinn told the students. \u201cIt was kind of hard scrapple.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI got cast in my first film probably after I had been doing theatre for about five years professionally. Then I did theatre, film and television for a while and for the last 20 years I\u2019ve done exclusively film and television,\u201d said O\u2019Quinn before turning it over to the students.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s my short story,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t know what else exactly to tell you but I wonder if we could have a discussion if anybody has any thoughts or if you have any questions.\u201d<\/p>\n For the next 50 minutes, O\u2019Quinn answered students\u2019 questions \u2013 ranging from his favorite role to how he felt when he won his Emmy. He also granted many students\u2019 requests for selfies at the conclusion of the interview session.<\/p>\n Abbreviated excerpts from his discussion with students are below.<\/p>\n Student<\/em>: \u201cTo what or whom do you owe your success?\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Quinn: \u201cTo the extent that I\u2019ve had it \u2013 I never really get much farther than now. When people say, \u2018How does it feel to make it?\u2019 I\u2019ll say, \u2018I\u2019ve only made it to here. It feels pretty good so far.\u2019 \u2026I would have to say I owe my success to people who gave me roles and gave me opportunities in college, and, obviously, Olivia Hussey in \u2018Romeo and Juliet.\u2019 I\u2019m grateful to her and to Franco Zeffirelli for making that film. The rest of it is just your friends who support you. It helps to have a community of friends, a group that can help you out. It\u2019s tough to do it all by yourself. I love my community and I like the people who do what I do. Every time I did a play or a film, generally it feels like a big family. And then you say good-bye to that family and go on to the next one. It always a similar experience.\u201d<\/p>\n Student:<\/em> \u201cWhen you were first coming up as an actor, what was the best advice anyone has ever given you?\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Quinn:<\/em> \u201cThe one I already told you: Don\u2019t ask permission. The rest of it is what I call professionalism. I got that message from a wonderful old actor when I was fairly young. He said, \u2018I don\u2019t care about a person\u2019s personality. I don\u2019t care too much about how they are at home. But when you come here, when you go to that workplace, be a professional.\u2019 That involves treating others with respect. Being prepared. Be on time. And by \u2018be prepared\u2019 I don\u2019t just mean know your lines. I mean, know who your character is. Be prepared to discuss it. Be prepared to support your other actors.\u201d<\/p>\n Student:<\/em> \u201cDid anyone ever doubt your dreams when you first pursued acting?\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Quinn:<\/em> \u201cThe answer is no. I had a big family. I was the seventh of 11 children. My parents didn\u2019t have a lot of time to doubt my dreams. If we got out of the house they were happy. It can be a hard way to make a living. It\u2019s wonderful. When you\u2019re doing it, it\u2019s great. It\u2019s a fun job to have. But the truth is, 10 percent of the actors make 90 percent of the money that\u2019s available. The other 90 percent of the actors\u2026they\u2019re waiting tables or driving cabs, doing other things. There are people who will tell you it\u2019s no way to make a living. The most percentage don\u2019t make a good living doing it, but that\u2019s no reason not to do it or try to do it.<\/p>\n Student:<\/em> \u201cOne of the shows you are most famous for was \u2018Lost\u2019 as John Locke. I heard you were brought on by J.J. Abrams on that show. What was it like to work with him?\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Quinn:<\/em> \u201cIt was wonderful to work with J.J. Abrams. When \u2018Lost\u2019 started, that was 13 years ago when it first aired. How old were you guys then?\u201d<\/p>\n Students:<\/em> \u201cFour!\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Quinn:<\/em> \u201cIn those 13 years, J.J. Abrams has become a lot bigger of a name, although he was pretty big then. He was wonderful because he had a lot of energy. He was receptive to actors\u2019 ideas. I think anybody who\u2019s a good director is receptive. If you have a lot of people working under you, you want them all to do their work well and the people I prefer to work with do this. They want actors to bring them good ideas. They want cameramen to bring them good ideas, rather than be the king and say, \u2018Only do what I say.\u2019 J.J. was open to other people\u2019s ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n Student:<\/em> \u201cWhat was the best part about being on the set of \u2018Lost?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Quinn:<\/em> \u201cThe best part was probably Hawaii. The set itself was one of the best parts. Also, everybody was cast so well that we interacted off set kind of the same we did on the set. We were all friends. There wasn\u2019t any animosity\u2014well, a little here and there. When you\u2019re on a set you spend a lot of time waiting and waiting and waiting. There is a lot of time to sit under the trees and play guitar. We sat around and told stories and laughed and played guitar and looked at Hawaii.\u201d<\/p>\n Student:<\/em> \u201cHow did it feel to play a crazy, evil guy most of the time?\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Quinn:<\/em> \u201cThat\u2019s fun! It\u2019s pretty fun because there aren\u2019t rules. People have said it\u2019s often more fun to play bad guys than good guys. The good guys always have rules and have to behave a certain way. You kind of know how they\u2019re going to be. Bad guys, they don\u2019t really have rules. They can sort of say or do or behave anyway they want to. It\u2019s fun to be called upon to do the unexpected. If you\u2019re playing a pyscho you have a script, but you might decide to throw a chair. You kind of get to be more creative. That being said, you can always be that creative. There\u2019s a saying on the set an actor told me a long time ago, before you guys were even born. He said, \u2018Never ask permission.\u2019 If you have a good idea, then good acting becomes having the courage to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Student:<\/em> \u201cThere are a lot of people who don\u2019t like watching themselves. Did you watch all of \u2018Lost\u2019 or did you not like seeing yourself on screen?\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Quinn:<\/em> \u201cYou all have heard your voice before. Aren\u2019t you surprised? I didn\u2019t like to watch myself because I didn\u2019t trust myself when I first started. If there was something I did that was going to be on television, I would be in the kitchen watching around the corner. Hearing your voice is bad enough but then there\u2019s your face. So that was tough. It was during Lost that I discovered\u2013I thought I was doing good work. I watched every one of them and I enjoyed them thoroughly, for the most part. There are times when you watch yourself and think that was not my best. I could have done better or I wish I had done this. But in the course of a career of acting for camera, you have to go home every night and forget it because it\u2019s there now. It\u2019s sealed. It\u2019s in the can. You can\u2019t take it back. There\u2019s nothing you can do so you have go home and accept it. In a play, in front of an audience, you can say you\u2019re going to change it tomorrow. I can do this better.\u201d<\/p>\n Student:<\/em> \u201cI was wondering what was going through your mind when you won an Emmy?\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Quinn:<\/em> \u201cI thought I was going to have a heart attack, which is funny because I always poo-poo awards and things like that. I was nominated for an Emmy the year before that and I was terrified that I was going to win it because I didn\u2019t want to go up and give a speech. But I didn\u2019t win. Then I did<\/em> win and my heart was racing. I went up and made a speech and it was exciting. You\u2019re queen for a day. From then on people can say, \u2018Here\u2019s Emmy winner, Terry O\u2019Quinn.\u2019 It doesn\u2019t get you more pay or more work. The only thing that gets you more work is the work you did before.<\/p>\n Student:<\/em> \u201cDo you prefer theatre or film?\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Quinn:<\/em> \u201cIt probably depends on what I\u2019m doing at the time\u2014I probably prefer the other one. I love doing theatre because the feedback is immediate\u2026but I love doing both. I\u2019ll say one thing. If any of you are interested in acting, then do it. Don\u2019t let somebody tell you not to do it. Try it. You might love it.\u201d<\/p>\n Student:<\/em> \u201cHow is the scene different from when you first started acting?\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Quinn:<\/em> In theatre it\u2019s pretty much the way it always was. In film, one of the biggest things\u2014well, first of all they used film<\/em>. \u2018Lost\u2019 was all shot on film. I prefer the way \u2018Lost\u2019 or film looked because it\u2019s a bit softer and there\u2019s something about it that\u2019s thicker and warmer. The biggest differences are in technology. And, I kind of love the days when everybody trusted each other a little bit more.<\/p>\n Student:<\/em> \u201cJ.J. Abrams is directing episode 9 of Star Wars. Could you possibly ask him about a cameo in that?\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Quinn:<\/em> \u201cI wouldn\u2019t probably ask him. I\u2019m actually going up to Massachusetts next week because J.J. Abrams is making a series called \u2018Castle Rock\u2019 with Stephen King. He called me and asked me to be in that. Stephen King was a big fan of \u2018Lost.\u2019 I hope I get to meet him.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At first, they were hesitant to speak\u2014likely overcome with a mix of nerves and awe. Who could blame them? 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<\/p>\n