“Ken Griffey, Jr. was probably the closest person to being my childhood hero, which is ironic because baseball was my worst sport. He had unparalleled talent matched with a relentless work ethic, infectious positivity, highly productive, and was loved and respected by his family, teammates and fans. He gave his all.”
Photo credit: Seth Kupersmith
“Jonny Quest [from the animated series of the same name]. His father’s a doctor, they travel around the world in a private jet with his best friend solving mysteries, fighting robots and always beating the bad guys! What more does an 8-year-old need? It’s still my life goal!”
“I was a huge Muhammad Ali fan growing up. I was a big Joe Namath fan growing up. I suppose it was really athletes I related to, but when I ended up getting the opportunity to meet Muhammad Ali when we were both doing that TV special THE NIGHT OF 100 STARS, it came to fruition. I knew we were going to be in the same space but I didn’t know for sure that the meeting would happen. That was a huge highlight of my life, and the fact that we actually became such close friends really blew my mind, and does to this day.”
“Kurt Vonnegut. He brought a levity into my life that I didn’t know existed. I moved to New York City, in part, to try and work with him.”
“I really loved Nancy Kerrigan. Growing up and watching her at the Olympics, and everything she went through, she carried herself with such poise and grace and strength. As a young girl growing up who also wanted to ice skate, she was someone I really admired at a young age. I even had a Nancy Kerrigan poster on my wall!”
“Michael Jordan. Growing up, he was just bigger than life, and everybody wanted Air Jordans. I loved watching Michael Jordan in action.”
“It would be my music and drama teacher in high school, Mr. Deitz. He [cast me] as the lead character in a musical when I thought it would be the most uncool thing I could do and would ruin my reputation, because I was a sports kid. It changed my whole perspective of the arts and what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.”