enough that I was eventually chosen for the role. Ironically, I remember feeling worse coming out of that room than I did after the Sorkin audition two years before. (How an actor feels about their audition does not always correlate to whether or not they get the job.)
Getting the gig was a victory considering the pedigree of the show. But when I went to my first fitting, I picked up an inside scoop from a member of the wardrobe department, who eventually became a friend, that raised the stakes for me considerably. He told me that my storyline was part of a new direction on the show that involved the campaign trail for Jimmy Smits's character, Matt Santos, running for President. John Wells, who had since taken the reins of the show from Aaron Sorkin, was apparently using these guest spots as a way to audition actors for a potentially longer stint on the show. In essence, my new confidante was telling me, “Don't eff it up!”
Nobody Walks on the Hill!
John Hurley, my freshman football coach, ended the first practice of our ninth grade season by surprising the team with an order to take a lap around a tree that was perched atop a very steep hill that sloped down to our practice field. Mistakenly assuming we were done caused me to get a late jump on the run and, having hustled my butt off for the previous two hours, I struggled and came in almost dead last. I specifically remember thinking that maybe I wasn't cut out for this level of play and eighth grade football was my limit. But I stuck it out, stayed around, and had a good season. Building on that freshman year, I had three more good seasons, playing through the end of high school. I also quickly learned Coach Hurley's most famous catchphrase, “Nobody walks on the hill!” He was referring to that steep hill we had to climb after that first practice. Every time we ascended it, from that first practice on, it was drilled into our heads that we could not walk it. Instead, no matter how tired we might be, we had to sprint up.
“Nobody walks on the hill!” is a mantra I still use with my kids to this day. In fact, I use it myself for everything from motivation in the gym to prep work for roles to my overall daily hustle. It was front of my mind my first day on The West Wing, when I was called to set. They were finishing a scene in a school classroom before we moved on to my first scene. That's where I first met Bradley Whitford. I had seen his work on the show, and his combination of flawless machine-gun-fire dialogue combined with his loose-as-a-goose vibe was frighteningly good. I was also aware at this point that he had won an Emmy Award, among many other accolades, for his portrayal of Josh Lyman. On top of this, I was aware that all of my scenes in this episode consisted of me leading the charge down hallways. My character was driving the action and dialogue while flanked by actors whose work I knew, who had also been on the show far longer than me: Whitford, Smits, Teri Polo, and Janeane Garofalo, among others.
But that fear, of being the guy who comes in and turns out to be the fly in the ointment, actually saved me. Knowing that preparation and work ethic were my best weapons against the nerves associated with a high-stakes gig, I threw myself into the prep as soon as I was cast. With limited time for the in-depth research that I'd eventually do, I ran the scenes over and over, drilling the lines frontward, backward, and sideways. I'd run the scenes while I was driving, at the gym, walking around … in an Irish accent, a Southern accent … anything I could do so that I didn't have to think about lines at all once we got rolling. I thought about my character's relationship to the candidate, Matt Santos, and to the other characters as well as to the campaign itself. On my first day on the show, and all through that episode, “La Palabra,” I never faltered. I was prepared, but not overconfident. Other actors, even ones I admired so much, had moments that caused us to have to cut, but I did not.
To be clear, acting is not about memorizing your lines. In my opinion, the best acting takes place between the lines. Great acting is great listening. And there are many times when, as long as you're exploring during a take, you can go up on your lines and have to stop the scene and still have usable material in that take. But an actor is usually only allowed that freedom once they are known, trusted, and have proven themselves to the director and other actors. When you're a rookie on the set, you do not want to be that person, particularly on a show that involves long and winding walk-and-talks with a Steadicam. While there was not much particularly emotional heavy lifting required of me in that first episode, my work ethic helped me prove to them that I might be an asset to the cast.
I was asked back to The West Wing two episodes later in the season 6 finale, and invited to the end-of-year wrap party. As I was leaving the party to head back to the East Coast, Executive Producer and Director Alex Graves said, “We'll see you at the end of the summer.” I said, “Can you put that in writing?” They called my reps over the summer, guaranteeing me three out of the first five episodes in season 7, and that led to me being a significant player in what turned out to be the show's last season. I stuck around all the way through the series finale, in which my character got his own office in the West Wing.
My talent helped me in my West Wing experience, but I credit most of that run to my work ethic. I also credit my belief in Coach Hurley's mantra, “Nobody walks on the hill!” My healthy dose of fear, which served as a motivator, was also key. The West Wing material I was given did not exactly allow me to truly stretch my acting muscles. But, much like my time on The Sopranos, which you'll hear about in another chapter, it continues to help me score jobs to this day because it was such a high-pedigree and culturally relevant television show.
“Driving to auditions that are anywhere from six to eight hours away, maybe even sometimes twice a week. So, you're living in Atlanta, but you're driving to New Orleans for auditions. I'm talking one-liners. When you talk about the grind. When you talk about work ethic. When you talk about being committed. That's where you learn because you are grateful.”
—Melissa Ponzio, Actor, Teen Wolf, Chicago Fire
When I reflect upon work ethic, I often think of a famous quote from Robert De Niro's directorial debut, A Bronx Tale. After his character's son asks him if he has talent, De Niro tells the kid he has all the talent in the world. This prompts the boy to ask if he can be a pro baseball player someday. De Niro responds, “The saddest thing in life is wasted talent.” He adds that the rest is up to working hard and doing “the right thing.” In an ironic and sad twist of life imitating art, the actor Lillo Brancato, who played the boy, a total natural who was capable of going toe-to-toe with legends like De Niro and Chazz Palminteri, got mixed up with drugs later in life. He and a friend got involved with a burglary that resulted in an off-duty police officer being shot and killed. He served eight years in prison, with his life as he knew it forever changed. Talent is not worth much if it isn't attached to work ethic and values.
Top Three Takeaways
1 If you love something, you will want to work hard at it and be the best you can be. Having passion for something makes the work not feel like work.
2 Fear is a great motivator. If you pretend danger doesn't exist, your fear will freeze you when you're faced with danger.
3 A massive volume of work and preparation can serve as an insurance policy against nerves, fear, and unforeseen hiccups that are certain to arise in the course of a challenge.
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