Judith Light

Thank goodness for rewind! I was so enthralled with Alec Baldwin’s podcast (Here’s the Thing) interview with Judith Light that I had to continuously stop the recording, play back a segment, listen again, rewind and hear it once more. At 70 years old, she announced that she’s “working on more than I ever have in my whole life.”

How does she do it? During her interview she shared these gems:

“I never say never about anything ever again. I said I’ll never do a soap opera, I’ll never do a sitcom, I’ll never marry an actor, and I’ll never move to California.” All of which, as Baldwin pointed out, she did. “Who would expect that a woman from daytime television would end up with two Tonys?”

Her philosophy: “You cannot orchestrate this stuff.”
Baldwin said, “People don’t realize, you don’t stop journeying.”
To which Judith Light responded, “It’s a migration. It’s an evolution. It’s an expansion. And if you hold yourself in that framework, then you can move in those directions.”

My ears were particularly perked up because one of my current clients is considering her options for what’s next in her career. She’s facing many milestones and is at a fork in the road – continue doing what she’s been so successfully doing for decades, or go in a different direction. She’s been experimenting with trying on new experiences, saying yes, discovering what’s in her comfort zone and what’s out of her comfort zone.

Yesterday I became more directive – my need to suggest action – rather than allowing her to continue down the BEING road she’d begun.

I wished I’d heard this podcast earlier, but it’s not too late to pass on its wisdom, which I will.

Light said that young actors are asking the wrong questions: How do I get an agent? How can I get a manager?

Here’s her beautifully articulated wisdom: You need to stop seeking and be curious. Who are you? What kind of life are you going to have? How are you going to be in the world? How do you want people to see you? Are you kind? Are you generous? Are you available to people? Do you have wonderful children? Do you create amazing citizens in the world? These are the things that have great value.

And here’s the thing I want to pass on that she said and is my core belief (that I needed to be reminded of myself yesterday and today): Something else holds this all together that’s much greater, much bigger.

In a nutshell, here’s what I wish for my client. Relax on seeking the answer and continue the migration you’ve begun. Allow what needs to happen and be present for its unfolding.