Be Hungry to Do. Actor Sebastian Siegel on Life, Choices and Acting

Photo © John Ganun

“Imagine if you had nowhere to live and some girl you didn’t know said you could stay with her. Would you?” Sebastian Siegel looked pensive as he gestures ever so slightly to the two girls seated across from us, his eyes motion in their direction. It’s a sunny day in Los Angeles, and as we sat on the patio of Urth Caffe in Beverly Hills,  I can see, in that earnest stare, just how impassioned Sebastian Siegel is; about life, his career, the people he has met and finding his way.

Although I knew this question was rhetorical, I still maintained my curiosity. And as the waitress interrupts us with his food, I wait to see — to hear — and to learn more about what this actor turned model turned actor has to say about sacrifices, choices, goals and why so many people lack self esteem.

STEFAN PINTO: “Is that going to fill you?” Sebastian has ordered a green salad with a side of extra chicken, which the waitress has forgotten to bring.

SEBASTIAN SIEGEL: “Probably not. Are you going to get something?”

SP: “No, I’m doing a story on healthy meal replacement energy bars, and I just had one. Hey, do you want this bread-cake thing?” It’s a piece of corn bread that comes with my green tea espresso. Both taste wretched.

SS: [laughs] “That’s all yours.”

Our chat lasts for over two hours, and although the City of Beverly Hills chose to ticket me for parking in a broken meter, I remained auspicious in that sometimes life opportunities will knock, albeit softly; few people are fortunate to find a sage of wisdom, and if you’re really good at impersonating the Governor of California, people will stop what they’re doing and turn around to look.

Eavesdrop, if you like:

Photo © John Ganun

SP: In “The Family that Preys” your character’s wife dies, you lose your job and kids, and you end up living on the street.   I read that you, Sebastian Siegel, once lived in your car.  Do you find that you, or that many actors, are drawn to roles that sometimes echo [our] life’s struggles?
SS: I don’t, though I think anyone can identify with a sense of hopelessness from some moment or another in life. It’s part of that human thread that links us together -- friends or strangers.  Since the acting, or becoming, of a role comes after the character is written, I think that, “echoing of,” sense with a role comes in the creation process of it. I certainly identified with Nick, and in my homework found things I loved and hated about being him. In this case the writer, Tyler Perry, lived in his car and overcame enormous challenges – and the impetus for that overcoming was spawned from faith. I think he writes a lot of that into his characters, and I certainly explored that with this role. It’s the actors’ job to deliver what’s written, what comes from the mind of the writer, and in collaboration with the vision of the director.

SP: Events and situations, in and of themselves do not determine our future, it is our reaction and actions that ultimately shape our lives. As a child, it seems you didn’t “fit in” however you replaced that emotional void with exercise, in essence bettering yourself. Today’s youth--even young adults--seem inclined to fill voids with material possessions or worse, sacrificing their self-image for those of celebrities. What advice would you give to today’s generation for building up their self esteem and embracing their uniqueness?
SS: For me making mistakes was paramount, it still is.  I’m the king of mistakes. I think in identifying your own individuality you have to feel out what fits and what doesn’t. Driving your own personal growth means reaching beyond your current capacity – but in that, you might find something greater than yourself that you aspire to.  I think this is the essence of growth, and so for me it’s where I found, and still find a lot of esteem;  reaching beyond myself to grow into more than I am. Of course pushing the envelope means that you’ll go too far sometimes, and you’ve got to be comfortable with that, with making mistakes, if you really want to live, really want to grow, really want to explore what it is to be you.

Photo © John Ganun

SP: You’ve been quoted in various ways about your physique as being “strictly a byproduct of my love for pushing physical limits, igniting emotional highs and disciplining mental will.”  Indeed, life is about the journey, but this enjoyment is seldom appreciated--or even understood. How would you coach people to realize this intangible facet?
SS: Get lost in it. Exercise, love, relationship, work, adventure – whatever it is, that’s the only way to the core of it all. We’re all going to a box in the ground – there’s no need to rush to get there.  Eternity exists in the moment.

SP: Remaining fit is challenging. It takes tremendous discipline. What (and/or who) motivates you?
SS: I’m hungry, hungry for life, hungry to feel, hungry to do.  It just feels right.  If you look at your hands, these hands, they were meant to DO things with – to work, to play, to struggle, to fight for it, to care.  Like the sun shines, we are born each day to do – I just like giving in to it, heeding that call to live.  Sweat is evolutionarily integral to that call, it’s part of our makeup.  Animals just run sometimes, even when they’re not hunting or fleeing, they just run.  We are people, and before that, beneath that, we are animals.  That thought excites me, and so exercise excites me in that way – like honoring the progress of time within my biological being; expressing its manifestation in this physicality by playing the instrument, by pushing it to the limit.  In terms of discipline, discipline is freedom.  Giving in to whatever you want, to laying around, to eating garbage, to not treating people with care let’s say, that is slavery, slavery to our weakest, lowest being.  Discipline breaks us free from that.  It is the freedom to decide what we want to become, and the commitment to become that.  A slave does only what is required.  You’re a free man or woman, the moment you step beyond.

SP: Let’s talk about goals vs. dreams. The proverbial “dreams do come true” has become cliché, yet so many people maintain this desire while remaining uncertain on how to make it a reality. How did you make your dream into your goal?  What was/is your dream?
SS: I’m just doing what I love doing.  In terms of manifesting, I think it’s important to schedule, and then get lost in it.  Assertiveness is important.  Decisiveness is important.  I want to devour the day, but we’ll never get anywhere without knowing what we want to achieve.  And faith is important, because often, we’re not going to succeed.  And tenacity is important, because following dreams requires a bit of insanity.  And courage is important, because when we’re original and when we make mistakes, we’re going to get laughed at.  And so love, for the process and even for the struggles, is important because outcome will always vary.  And, of course, there’s a lot of magic in making it fun.

SP: Did you ever “fall down?” (this is a reference to the Chinese proverb “fall down seven times, get up eight”)
SS: Every day, that’s my forte.

SP: On working out, staying fit, building muscle, what are some tips for building lean muscle?
SS: Sleeping late, eating pizza and crispy creams, smoking cigarettes – all of these things are great, and of course beer for mass and tequila for cuts.  But really, ultimately it’s the same paradigm as anything worth doing – DECIDE you’re going to do it, and then get lost in it.  There is no “maintain” or “stay fit” for me.  An Olympic runner can’t hit the fastest time and then go out and repeat it every day – he has to give it all to come even close to that time on any given day.  We’re adaptive animals.  If you want lean muscle, the best way is to fall in love with the work… make it fun, and keep it at.

Photo © John Ganun

SP: Protein. Protein. Protein. Everyone knows that we need protein if we want to build lean muscle. But is there such a thing as too much protein? What about vegan protein sources?
SS: The bodybuilding general rule of thumb is 1gm per lb of bodyweight.  But more importantly it’s about clean, easily digested foods.  I like beef for instance, but ONLY grass-fed beef.  I’d rather starve than eat a burger from tortured, chemically injected cattle.  Protein is important for sustaining lean muscle, but too much will throw a wrench in your digestive system.  More than about 40gms in one meal will probably slow you down.  Yes, I eat lots of vegetables every day, organic is ideal.  Soy is often heavily processed and it can be estrogenic in men, so I think it’s important to know it’s delivered from a quality source, and not overdo it either.  For the grass-fed steak, I order from Grassland Beef or US Wellness Meats.

SP: Alcohol?
SS: I think moderate consumption is fine.  When I fist came to California I taught scotch tastings, so I became enamored with the care and culture that goes into making it.  There’s a new vodka coming out now – it’s called DEVOTION, and it’s infused with protein and it’s wicked smooth.

SP: One of your favorite authors, Ken Wilber, has used a phrase “hurts more, bothers you less,” which to me sounds like detachment; the practice of letting go in order to grow.  This is a proficiency that is almost an art.  Do think this skill comes naturally when one, and by “one” perhaps I am referring to the ego, surrenders?
SS: Yes, in transcending ego, letting go is natural.  The “holding on” comes from ego.  Love is open arms, and passion is a tight squeeze.  I think they’re both awesome when they’re both honored.

SP: Knowing James Whitmore has obviously affected your life – has this relationship helped you as an actor, in terms of building character?
SS: Building a character, as an actor, and having character, as an individual, are two separate things.  We’d play chess and talk about acting and politics, and I was certainly inquisitive about his methods as an actor, and I certainly learned from him.  The man has tremendous character.  He wasn’t nice but he was kind.  Meaning he cared deeply for life and for people, but he wouldn’t sit around and waste the day.  As an actor I was able to show him the things I was working on.  I spent many hours in his yard spinning material I was exploring – from Hamlet to Mamet.  His response and interest was an incredible gift for me, and as a man he’s an incredible reference point for what’s possible with care and commitment.

Photo © John Ganun

SP: I see the way you light up when you talk of your father as well.  Where does that come from?
SS: The man’s so fun, and he’s outrageous.  I only got to see him during the summers growing up but I could always tell him anything – and that makes for authentic relationship.  He’s manifested this incredible life where he travels the world, and lives on the beach in Hawaii writing books and teaching.  His class is the most requested.  I’ve been sitting in on it since I was 2 years old, and I’ll still go sit in when I’m there.  He’s a great story teller, and when he talks about religions (he’s a professor of comparative religions, and specializes in India) it’s romantic and funny, it’s metaphorical and actual – to me it’s like poetry.  There’s nothing better than seeing someone masterful at what they do.  Even if you don’t like basketball, you can’t help but appreciate the way Michael Jordan moves.  My father is like the Michael Jordan of educators on the world’s religions – he makes it seductive and cool, comprehensible and relevant…and often he’s hilarious.  It seems he lives in some sort of groove with the rhythm of life -- like he’s living in the Tao.  And his sense of humor is awesome.  There was a time when I was about 9, when we’d go up to the University in the middle of the night and take the video player home to rent a movie, and so we rented the film, and he cooked something, and there was this big excitement about the doing of the whole thing.  Then when we got home he spilled a beer into the top of the TV and the glass burst out the front, and the whole thing lit on fire.  He was a bit panicked about it but laughing, laughing the whole time.  I mean this is the adventure, this is humor, seeing it in all the ridiculous things that happen.  I mean it’s a choice, you can find the humor or not, and isn’t the world cool when you do.

SP: Who are two of your favorite authors and why?
SS: Alan Watts and Ken Wilber.  These guy’s books are, for me, expansive, paradigm busting, teary eyed, laugh-out-loud, poetic brilliance.  I find this wicked sense of humor in both or their writings that resonates with me. With Ken’s books I feel like I’m bending my mind into a new realm of consciousness – how’s that for a review?

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Sebastian Siegel plays Nick Blanchett in Tyler Perry’s “The Family That Preys.” Nick is an investor who looses his wife, job, kids, and ends up on the street. But hope is reclaimed by investing with his only friend, Alice (Alfre Woodard), and maneuvering stocks in Charlotte’s (Kathy Bates) company.  He has played TV roles in CSI Miami, Family Guy and recently as Erik, in 2 episodes of Season 5 on Lost. His recent Huffington Post article, “The Overhuman,” talks about life happiness, who we are and what drives us. Sebastian Siegel on Arnold Schwarzenegger (via YouTube)

Learn more about Sebastian Siegel on his website: http://www.sebastiansiegel.com/iWeb/Site/BIO.html