He was a football player at Brown University. During his junior year, a theater professor approached him about portraying Hal in a production of William Inge's "Picnic," saying they were interested in getting a football player to portray him. He declined several times before giving in.

I did things because of the things themselves. And I still do that with my writing, my painting, sometimes with acting still, and I don't care. You're at the mercy of money. You become nothing more than a hunter, in terms of tribal ethic, because we all are members of a tribe, let's face it. You go through your war period in high school when you're a little jock, then you become a provider for your family. Some people are better hunters than other, and bring in more deer. In our culture it's not about deer, it's about money, which is tragic. I think if you lose touch with that stuff, with what you really care about, you're dead in the water.