The cast of Disney+’s The Right Stuff shared their advice on how to make acting dreams come true with AfterBuzz TV.
Going to space is a dream that’s larger than life–even more so when it had never been done before! The Right Stuff, Disney+’s original series about the first ever astronauts, tells the true story of when the seemingly impossible was made possible when America put its first person in space.
The talented and accomplished cast of The Right Stuff knows what it takes to make a lofty dream come true, as they all did just that on their journey to becoming working actors. AfterBuzz TV asked the show’s cast what their advice is for someone who wants to pursue the dream of becoming an actor but isn’t sure if it’s too big a dream to chase. This is what they had to say:
Eric Ladin (flight director Chris Kraft):
“Follow the dream, right? Life is so short. My wife is studying to be a psychologist and she talks a lot about people at the end of their lives; when they get to the end of their lives, the ones that leave this earth happy are the ones that have no regrets. I think as we travel through our time here we have to just–as scary as it might be–take that chance. And even if it doesn’t work out, at least we did. Chances are it will either work out or it will lead us down another path that maybe, however you believe, we were supposed to be on. So I would just say follow that dream and take that chance and have no regrets.”
Patrick Fischler (NASA director Robert Gilruth):
“Number one, I say this all the time if I go and speak at a school or speak to a class, if there’s anything else you want to do besides acting, do that. If there’s nothing, nothing, nothing in the world you want besides to be an actor, just don’t stop. Do everything in your power to make it happen and don’t give up. I really mean it. People get sort of mad at me when I say if there’s something else you want to do, do that; I say that because I believe this has to be all you want to make it happen. I’ve watched as I’ve been doing this, lots of my friends or acquaintances drop out and do other stuff. It was never their only passion, and I believe it has to be your only passion.”
Eloise Mumford (astronaut wife Trudy Cooper):
“I also thought it was a very lofty goal. I don’t come from an entertainment family. My dad is a scientist, my mom is a teacher. I grew up totally in love with acting, doing community theater productions, but I didn’t think it was something that was very responsible or possible as a career. In following this dream, I’ve realized that so much of it is about persistence and riding the wave of the energy of stuff when it happens, and then having the fortitude to keep going when stuff isn’t happening. Because I think when you talk to any actor who’s working, there’s a thousand times in between the projects that are incredible and those that feel totally empty when you feel like, ‘What am I doing?’
“I think telling stories in whatever capacity you choose to do that in is one of the most fundamental and noble things that humans do. And I think that is really, really important. I would say to anybody who wants to be an actor that if you are interested in storytelling, that you find a way to do it. Because reflecting the human experience in an authentic and nuanced and complex and truthful way back to us as humans it’s one of the most powerful things in the world.”
James Lafferty (astronaut Scott Carpenter):
“It’s tough because so much of your path as an actor depends on luck and timing, and being in the right place at the right time. So I would say just make sure that you’ve got your fundamentals in line, and if this is actually your dream, be ready for it to be tough sometimes–or maybe most of the time. And just make sure you love it, because it’s going to test you.”
Shannon Lucio:
“You can’t think about the loftiness of the goal; you just have to keep applying yourself to it rigorously everyday. It is a lofty goal, as is being a senator or a doctor or a scientist, or any number of things. But if you truly want to do it for the right reasons, then you will sacrifice and you will continuously chip away at it. All the disappointments that are going to come your way throughout the process will not knock you off your path, but will be an opportunity to learn so that you can shift your trajectory and your plan in order to realize the ultimate goal.
“If you love telling stories or this is your way of communicating with the world, and you love bringing unheard people and stories to light, then you’re going to want to commit to it because you have a reason bigger than yourself to sacrifice to make your dream come true. If when you search your heart, if that’s the truth that you come upon, then you just don’t give up. I’ve always said to people who I know who want to be an actor, if you truly have the will to do something, there is no opposing force in this universe that has more will to make sure it doesn’t happen for you. You’re going to keep carrying that ball up the hill. There’s no one other force out there that’s determined to make sure you don’t crest the hill and get over the top. Nothing’s going to get in your way: you just have to be willing to play the long game.”
