Carl Lumbly

Here’s a bit of cool movies trivia: Both Danny Glover and another well-known actor had their big-screen debut in Escape from Alcatraz back in 1979. Wild, right? Before they were household names, they were just starting out, trying to make a mark in a gritty prison break flick. The movie itself, set on the infamous Alcatraz Island, follows a group of prisoners plotting a tricky escape from the supposedly inescapable prison. The cast is stacked, and you can definitely catch a glimpse of these future stars in their early days—blink and you’ll miss them, but they’re there, bringing intensity even in smaller roles. It’s funny looking back, knowing how huge they’d become in Hollywood, and realizing it all kicked off with this classic. Escape from Alcatraz isn’t just a tense thriller—it’s also a starting point for careers that would later explode. So next time you watch, keep an eye out for those baby-faced legends.

Acting isn’t just standing up there to show off—it’s about disappearing into someone else’s skin. You’re not supposed to be some walking, talking resume for your acting chops. Nah, you’re there to channel whatever that character’s got brewing inside them, let their story spill out. All the training, the tricks, the backflips you can do? Sure, cool, but none of that matters if you’re not letting the character’s truth come through. Real acting is just being a vessel, like a messenger, letting whatever needs to be said get out there. Ego gets checked at the door, honestly. You’ve got to get out of your own head, stop thinking about how you look or how someone’s judging your performance. It’s about honesty, even if it’s messy or weird or not flattering at all. That’s where the magic happens—when you’re just a conduit for the character’s story, not your own.