Meeting Robert Bogue
Soap Opera Weekly: You studied international politics and economics in college. How did you become an actor?
Robert Bogue: My parents are probably wondering the same thing since they paid for the tuition (laughs). That was an interesting major. It’s not a bad field to go on and get your masters in, which was my plan, but two things happened my senior year in college. One, I saw a friend in a play — he was doing Equus — and I thought, “Wow, what an interesting thing my friend does.” I hadn’t entered that world and I was fascinated by it. The other thing was that Sydney Pollack, the Hollywood director, was going to screen some of his movies one weekend. I remember sitting in this small student union watching Jeremiah Johnson and here I was meeting the guy who made it. I thought, “Wow, this is what this guy does for a living. He tells stories. You don’t necessarily have to work in an office, Rob.” And THAT was mind-blowing to me. I thought before I get a master’s, I’ll take six months and play around. I decided I’d go to New York, take some acting classes, and than re-apply to master’s programs and get on with my life. It was a whole other world. I was learning a lot about myself. I was living in a large city for the first time, so it was an exciting time in my life and I thought, “Well, maybe I don’t need to go get my master’s degree. Maybe this is interesting and challenging.” Not profitable for a long time like that degree would have been (laughs). It’s been a bumpy ride, but I don’t regret it one bit. Even though my parents did have to shell out a lot of money, bless them because they never, ever questioned it, never encouraged me to do something else. That was pretty cool.
Weekly: Are you still living in rural Pennsylvania?
Bogue: Yes. I have a small apartment in New York, so when I’m tired, I can crash. But I try to get to Pennsylvania as much as possible. My wife and kids stay up there, so if I’m not working the next day, I’ll go home. It’s only 90 miles so it’s tough to commute it every day, but I can do it a couple of times a week.
Weekly: I hear you’ve got a black belt in tae kwon do? How did you get involved in that?
Bogue: That has been the best chapter of my life. My wife and I both do it. A friend of mine was like, “Wow, you’re out of shape. You’re pathetic. You should come to this class.” So my wife and I went as a fluke, and we couldn’t walk up and down the stairs for two weeks afterwards. We go two, three, four times a week now. It’s great for us to do together. I’m always learning and I’m always humbled by it and it makes me a better actor because of the mind-body interplay and the mix of concentration and relaxation. I memorize stuff quicker if I’m doing it as opposed to not doing it, so it’s really been a great benefit for us.
Conversation
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