On the Record: political something

Daily Pennsylvanian: Welcome back. How does it feel to be back? Olin: I'm glad to come back because I have an association with the University and I feel pretty strongly about my support for [Democratic presidential candidate] Bill Clinton and [vice presidential candidate] Al Gore, and if there's a connection there, then I'm certainly happy to make it. I'm going to be speaking at a number of different places in the next month in support of the Democratic ticket. I graduated in 1976. From what I understand, there have been some changes in the school, and I'm looking forward to seeing them. I liked going to Penn and I had good friends there. I don't have a very emotional association with the institution itself. Even though "thirtysomething" took place there, we never shot there. The writers knew I went to Penn and I guess they exploited that. DP: Do you have any best or worst memories of being here? Olin: I was most involved with Penn Players. When I went to Penn, they didn't recognize drama as a legitimate academic pursuit. The curriculum didn't include dramatic studies at all. This club was the only way of being involved in the dramatic art at any level. I would do two or three productions a year. I decided to become an actor because of my relationship with a couple of people in Penn Players, particularly my best friend, Matt Mayer. My senior year, he encouraged me to go to New York and study acting since it seemed to be the only thing I really loved doing. I had a professor -- I think her name was Nancy Leonard -- who was an English professor there. She was very supportive of my pursuing drama and the dramatic arts as independent studies. I did my only directing before directing episodes of "thirtysomething" with Penn Players. I directed a production called "When You Comin' Back Red Rider?" which was a really significant event for me because it was the first time I was in touch with how much I loved directing and how consuming it was for me. That stayed with me for a long time and I think I always harbored a serious intention to pursue directing ultimately. I remember going to Pat's Steak House and eating at little restaurants. Mostly I remember the Annenberg Center and I had a very good relationship with this one teacher and how supportive she was of me and, I think, very understanding of how limited the curriculum was for anybody that was the least bit interested in drama. DP: Were you influenced politically at all by your years at the University? Olin: No, not at all. When I was going to Penn, it was after a fairly political era and Penn was not a particularly political place. It was relatively conservative in that the fraternities were very influential. Wharton was probably not as dominant a force as it is now in terms of the academic community, but certainly was a predominant aspect of the school. But I also was not that political. I was much more interested in figuring out what I wanted to do and what was of significance to me personally and emotionally. My family has always been very political and that has always been something that has influenced me and has always resonated in me. I grew up in a political environment. My grandfather was pretty involved with politics in the state of Illinois, my mother is very political. When I was a little boy, my father became deputy director of the Peace Corps in Chile. So that was always within the context of our home. I don't even remember there being that much political activity when I was at Penn. I remember that Gerald Ford gave the commencement speech and I didn't go. I had a job acting. I was given the option of taking the day off but I decided it was more significant to me to make $4 an hour or whatever, rather than hear Gerald Ford speak. DP: When did you begin to get politically involved and speaking for causes? Olin: I've been doing some of that intermittently. It's relatively easy to become involved politically if you have some celebrity because one celebrity can attract attention to a different cause or political point of view. I haven't been overly political because I don't consider myself to have any political expertise. I think it's a dangerous thing that celebrities are often given more authority in terms of their expertise in certain issues than they merit. I've spoken on a couple of environmental issues and I've attended a couple of pro-choice rallies in California. In terms of the Clinton-Gore ticket, right now, there seems to be some momentum for change and what I can contribute now is hopefully keeping that momentum going by supporting everyone's commitment to this ticket. To speak at a rally helps engage people emotionally and to keep a momentum going. I certainly emotionally and intellectually support the [Democratic] ticket. It would make me uncomfortable if I were ever put in the position of expert on certain issues. I think there are certain celebrities who have truly developed an expertise and those people should speak. Most of the time what happens with me is that some of these issues strike an emotional chord and I intend to speak out on certain issues if I support them emotionally. I have always voted Democratic and I certainly have found the policies of the past twelve years and the condition of the country economically and spiritually and socially to be repellent, so it's pretty easy for me to speak in support of the possibility of change. DP: As a political figure, do you feel it's your social responsibility to support your views? Olin: I think that there's a difference between a public figure who becomes a public figure because they have done a lot of research and made a serious commitment to policies and policy issues and forming policy positions. To become a public figure because you're involved with the arts and the performance arts, that gives you notoriety. I don't think people have a social responsiblity to make their own political points of views known simply because they were on T.V. shows or made records any more than I think a political figure should have to espouse an opinion about the arts. I think it's the responsibility of people in political positions to support the arts because they have to support the cultural movement and evolution of their country. At the same time, I think it's important for artists to be politically aware, but I don't think it's somebody's responsibility to make political statements if they're artists because a lot of the time they're not interested or well-versed. I think Vice-President [Dan Quayle] has made his own ignorance pretty clear when he started speaking about the context of television programs or what people were doing artistically -- he's completely ignorant. But I think it'd be just as much of a disservice for people in the arts to begin speaking about political issues or economic issues that they really just don't understand. If public figures solicit the support of artists that they know share their points of view, and those artists are somewhat versed in some of the issues and feel strongly and feel that their support can enhance the candidates possibility of being elected, then they should have the freedom to do so. I don't think every person in a position of political awareness has to take a political position. I think if you choose to, fine, hopefully you won't look like a fool if someone asks you a question you know nothing about. You have to be careful. DP: What other political work have you done? Olin: I spoke on some environmental things in Southern California and I spoke at a major pro-choice rally last year in Los Angeles. I directed two movies for television last year and I think they both had a -- I don't know -- social context. One was about a dysfunctional family and a family dealing with homosexuality and the other was about fetal-alcohol syndrome. I guess I tend to be drawn to material of a political nature. It's not that I do it exclusively, it just seems to be something I'm motivated to work on. DP: What are you currently working on? Olin: Well, currently I'm working on something that isn't political at all. I'm working on a mini-series. I'm acting for the first time in a year-and-a-half. I've worked hard as a director for a year and I guess this is more recreational. It's a murder-mystery and Cybil Shepherd and I are starring in it. DP: Sounds like fun. Olin: It is fun. Hopefully it'll be entertaining. It's certainly been entertaining to do. DP: When is that due to come out? Olin: I think it's supposed to come out early in February on ABC. DP: Which do you prefer doing, acting or directing? Olin: Oh, I much prefer directing. It's just that I hadn't been pursuing acting at all. When they sent this to me it seemed like it might be fun and relatively easy so I decided to do it. But I'm much happier directing. It's more fulfilling for me right now creatively. DP: Do you have anything lined up for the near future? Olin: No, I don't. I've been looking through stuff. It's interesting -- with acting, even if it's a major commitment to a mini-series or a feature film which tends to be fairly extensive, as an actor you make a six- or eight-week commitment to something and you're really responsible for your character and making your character believable, and that involves a certain amount of work and scrutiny. But as a director, the minimum amount of commitment that you make to a project is about half a year and that's a television movie. To direct a feature is twice as long. To make that kind of commitment you have to be not only really serious about the piece and very much in love with the material, but you also have to have a certain amount of stamina and you have to have a lot of energy in reserve to do it. So I'm trying to be somewhat cautious in what I choose to do next. I didn't stop working for almost five years. I got very tired. I took a couple months off and I did this which is very easy and has been really enjoyable because it's strictly a piece of entertainment meant for people to watch and have fun and enjoy. I think the next thing I choose to do as a director I'll have to be very committed to. I've been sent things but I haven't found the right thing yet. DP: Is there anything specific that you're looking for? Olin: No. It's been nice though because I have time now in the next month. I'm going to speak at Penn and I'm going to speak in Chicago and I'd like to help in some small way to get these guys elected.