How do you usually break into a new role?

I start with the body. I love finding the physicality of the person, because once I get into the way they move, it starts to affect the thought patterns. Once I find thought patterns, I’m able to get underneath everything else.

What are some differences between acting for the stage and acting for the screen?

I find theater to be about discovering what’s new within repetition, experiencing it for the first time every time, and getting to live the whole journey of a life, whereas film is about immediate instinct and first impulse—you don’t get to live that particular moment in your character’s life ever again.

How did it feel to film an Amazon Studios production?

It was definitely a huge jump. I’ve done a lot of indie films, but I have never done something of that scale. At some point, I realized this is the same stuff I was doing in acting class. At the end of the day, from action to cut, that moment of play is the same.

What do you want to say to your younger self, who created those characters in his bedroom?

I’d tell him to not lose the unshakable, fervent belief in what he’s doing. When I first started, I had no experience or training, but I had so much more courage than I sometimes find now. I would tell him to never lose that. In a way, I hope he’d tell me that.