Mishawaka High School fine arts students saw stars in their eyes when they were surprised with a visit from MHS alumni and Oscar nominated actor Adam Driver. Driver spent an hour with students answering questions and sharing his journey from MHS theater kid to globally respected actor.
Driver graduated from MHS in 2001 and entered the Marine Corp. Driver said the military experience prepared him for the acting profession, “[in the Marines] I had to learn to play with everyone. Everyone has a part of a bigger thing…we worked as a unit, the team atmosphere was big. It gave me a sense of time management. In the long run it set me up in a great way.” Driver earned a laugh from the students when he explained any apprehension about moving to New York, "If I can survive the Marine Corps, I can survive walking in Central Park."
Driver, who graduated from Juilliard Conservatory in 2009, offered encouraging advice to the fine arts students, “It is hard to find access to theater and film in Mishawaka but that doesn’t determine if you can be successful. I went to a place that did it [film and theater], New York City. I didn’t know anyone…you must be obsessed with acting. If you are obsessed then lack of access won’t be an issue.” Driver continued, ““Just because you’re from a certain place doesn’t mean you can’t understand.” Fine Arts and band director Kaleb Chamberlain said, ”Students from MHS need to see that being from a "small town" doesn't have to limit their dreams and goals. Adam is just a regular guy who worked his tail off and passionately reached his goals. There were plenty of bumps along the way in his journey, but he had incredible grit and determination.”
Senior Grey Van de Voorde said,” It is inspiring to hear the story of someone who went to MHS, especially since I’m going into music in college.” Senior Kailah Trejo added, “Coming from a small town can make it [success in the arts] feel impossible but this makes it real!”
Senior Mariah Shannon asked Driver how he measured his growth as an actor over time. Driver explained that it is hard to interpret validation so his target audience is other actors. ” I’m not analytical. Young and in my 20s, I had a lot of time and freedom. I was also poor so I took any acting jobs I could. As I got older and financially stable I could be more selective,” Driver explained. As his lifestyle changed and the addition of his children acknowledged, “It’s not even about having a lot of time, it’s about having quality time.”
Driver dispelled the myth that filmmaking is all glamour. “A typical week is Monday to Friday and each day is about 12-14 hours long,” Driver explained. He said while working on the film Ferrari there were a couple of 20 hour days. “It depends if the scenes are inside or outside and what the country rules are surrounding film making,” he continued. Driver described the differences in filming schedules, “A big budget film like Star Wars can shoot for six months with an additional three months at the beginning for training while a small independent film like Patterson can be shot in six weeks. Each brings a different kind of strain.”According to Driver, the key to longevity in acting is, ““You have to constantly be inspired.”
As a student at MHS, Driver remembered his first role in the musical Oklahoma!, “I had one line, “Check his heart!”’ He went on to list The Odd Couple as his favorite role because “Mr. Chamberlin gave us a lot of freedom in that production. It was a lot of fun.” Driver also won gold for his performance in a barbershop quartet.
Chamberlin worked behind the scenes for over a year to schedule this, “His filming schedule can be crazy, so we had to be flexible.“ Chamberlain explained, “I grew up watching Adam in theatre productions here at MHS while I was in elementary school. Adam is close in age with my brother Kyle. They have kept in touch since graduation.”