Famous Actor, East Alum Bradley Whitford shares life lessons
Actor and East alum Bradley Whitford shares advice with Purgolders on being active in the community and holding on to joy in whatever you do. “There is a lot of joy in activism. I want young people to not be dissuaded from the idea that their future is an act of their own imagination … whatever the circumstances, don’t give up that agency over it,” Whitford said.
February 21, 2023
Actor Bradley Whitford, East grad. class of 1977, spoke with a Tower Media reporter in honor of the school’s 100-year anniversary.
After graduating from East in 1977, Whitford on to study English and theater at Wesleyan University, and acting at The Juilliard School. His most notable roles were in “The West Wing,” “Get Out,” and “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Whitford started acting at a young age and took part in performances at East, including “Charlie’s Aunt” and “My Three Angels.” As a student, he was also on the tennis team and the forensics team, which is a competitive speech and debate club.
Although he is still in touch with a wide range of people from his time at East, Whitford said that it took leaving Madison before he realized he could make a career out of acting. Now, 45 years after graduating high school, Whitford has perspective and advice to share with the up-and-coming generation of actors.
“The most important thing to me about acting is to never lose your sense of joy about it. The best acting, the most brilliant acting, is the result of a process that feels more like recess than like school,” he said.
Along with acting, Whitford has continued the East tradition of political activism and is on the board of advisers for Let America Vote and the Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
“It’s very easy to get cynical about politics,” Whitford said. “God knows there’s plenty of evidence to justify that, but the fact is, politics are a way to justify your moral vision … If you’re not politically active, you sort of sentence yourself to a gulag dictated by those who do choose to participate.”
Not only does he think that it’s crucial to be politically active and to use one’s voice, but he also said it’s fun and students shouldn’t miss out on that excitement.
“There is a lot of joy in activism. I want young people to not be dissuaded from the idea that their future is an act of their own imagination … whatever the circumstances, don’t give up that agency over it,” he said.
Just as joy is important in activism, it’s also important in deciding your future plans. In fact, Whitford said that he fears that this generation of students is often too pressured to “prematurely specialize.” Because he didn’t experience this, he was able to find a career that he loved in the end.
“What I want young people to know is that you have to want to teach more than you want to be a teacher, you have to want to write more than you want to be a writer, and you have to want to act more than you want to be an actor. The only thing that will truly make you happy is enjoying what you’re doing, not whatever the rewards are.”
The goal is to find something that you enjoy, and then work on developing your skills. If you can find the inspiration, even if you’re not immediately good at it, hard work will eventually lead to success.
“You have to struggle to make a future you can believe in,” Whitford said.
Kathleen McCool • May 19, 2023 at 10:31 am
Love Bradley Whitford! What a wonderful human being. He was also in “The Cabin in the Woods.” Thanks for the profile!