You may not know him by name, but chances are, you've seen him on the big screen more times than you can count.
From appearances in shows such as "The West Wing," "NCIS," "Grey's Anatomy," "NUMB3RS" and "Sons of Anarchy," Michael O'Neill is a 1974 Auburn graduate with a list of impressive credits to his name.
He is best known for his roles in films such as "Transformers," "Seabiscuit," "Secondhand Lions" and most recently, "Dallas Buyers Club."
Though O'Neill is a renowned Hollywood actor, he bleeds orange and blue as much now as he did during his time as an Auburn student.
You're from Montgomery, but how did you end up attending Auburn University? Were you an Auburn fan growing up?
I was. I was born into it. My dad took me to a [football] game. The first game I ever saw was against Florida in 1958. It was love at first sight.
Did you have other family members or relatives that attended Auburn, too?
You know what? I was the first person in my family to go to college. It was a dream of my parents to attend the University, and they sacrificed a lot to make that happen over the years. I'm so grateful for that.
I know you're really busy, but do you still follow Auburn football?
My wife and I try to get back for at least one or two games in the course of the year. We try to bring our daughters when we can. I follow football, I follow the swimming program and I'm very excited about what's happening with basketball and baseball.
There are a lot of wonderful things happening at the University beyond athletics, too. The campus to me is like a moving painting. Whenever I'm there, it's just so beautiful. There are such bright faces and bright lives there, and I'm just in awe.
You went to Auburn in the 70s - that was a pretty interesting time period for our nation. There was a lot going on. What was that like?
It was an optimum time to be there. My freshman class was the first to use the Haley Center. That fall, there was a list of the former students who had been killed in action in Vietnam on the lawn. As I was leaving [my senior year], people went streaking across campus. It was a remarkable time.
I'm so grateful because we had the opportunity to listen to some very interesting points of view that we wouldn't have been privy too otherwise. Gloria Steinem, Muhammad Ali and Dan Rather came and spoke. It was a tremendous experience. It was a very, very diverse influence. It sure gave me a good education to go out in the world with, I'll tell you that.
If you could do it over, would you go to Auburn again?
Yes, yes. I would, and I'd hope for the same kind of influences and opportunities. I've always thought that college was the time to expand your vision and your horizon, and that was my experience. It created an appetite for me to go out into the world to see something and do something and make a contribution somewhere. I was fortunate that that was put in me.
You were an economics major. Economics to professional acting is quite the stretch! How did that happen?
Well, the way it happened is sort of unusual. I was a Lambda Chi at Auburn, and I had written an address for my national fraternity, which I had delivered at an international convention in Indiana. The attendees there recorded the address. They were from California and were doing interviews with distinguished alumni from the entertainment industry. One of them was the actor that played the grandfather on "The Waltons," a popular show in the 70s, and he was sort of iconic. He was a member of Lambda Chi at the University of Chicago 50 years earlier, and someone played that address for him, and he called me.
I was at Auburn, and he literally called me and said, "Son, I think you should try acting before the corporate structure snaps you up," and I said, "Honestly... I don't know anything about it," and he said, "Well come to California, and I'll work with you." I really expected him to tell me "Son, go get a job," but he said, "You probably won't make it. But you have to go. You have to try. You don't want to look back on your life and wonder what it might have been like."
It was a great ambition. About 10 days later, I loaded my car and drove to California.
Was moving from the South to California a difficult adjustment for you?
Yes and no. It was difficult in that I didn't know anyone. I was a young man just going out into the world without knowing what the world was - or at least that part of the world. On the other hand, the Montgomery March during the Civil Rights Movement happened when I was a child of about 10 or 11 years old. At the end of the march, a lot of people from California came and spoke. In my childhood mind, California had the answer to the racist issue. I was very excited about going out there because I always thought they had the answer in California. I found out that they had the answer to some things, but there were others they didn't have the answer to at all.
You were a member of the Lambda Chi fraternity and the SGA while here at Auburn. Did you do anything with theater?
When I first started there [at Auburn], the theater was still in that little chapel off of College Street. I took every opportunity I could to go and see things, but I never auditioned for a play. I never could have imagined what it would have been like to have gone out there and done that.
I've been back a couple times [to Auburn's theater] and I've done little classes or a couple question and answer things, but I'd like to do more than that. You get to a certain age where you want to give something back, but even so, I didn't have that theater experience while I was at Auburn. I love the campus of Auburn, and I do because I had to work with a lot of different people... not just one kind.
What was it like to work on such an influential movie such as "Dallas Buyers Club"?
I could never have seen it coming. I was on a plane trying to get back to Birmingham to see my family, and I got a call from my agents who wanted to re-route me to New Orleans to shoot this movie. I said, "Wait a minute, I haven't seen my kids in three months. I've gotta get home," and they said, "Just read the script." As soon as I read that script, I knew I had to be apart of it. It's a very, very powerful story. It's been a great ride. I've made sure to enjoy it while I can.
Before I knew it, I was ready to shoot my first scene, and Matthew [McConaughey] was standing probably 12 feet from me and I didn't even recognize him. I was still waiting for him to come in. Once I knew it was him, I realized the commitment he had made [his dramatic weight loss] was pretty extraordinary, and I needed to make sure I brought the very best of what I could do to match up to this special project. It was incredibly gratifying to work on. It was alive, dangerous and compelling.
So far, what has been your favorite character that you've portrayed?
I'm really loving "Extant," this new television series I'm involved in. I pinch myself every day when I get to go to work. It's about a former astronaut who returns home from a year-long mission in space, and tries to reconnect with everyday life. It's wonderful, complicated, demanding and fun.
What things are you working on now that we should keep an eye out for?
There are two things I've been working on. The first is called "Rectify," which is a series I did at Sundance last year, and am filming 10 episodes of this year. It will premiere on SundanceTV in June. The second that I already mentioned, "Extant," is pretty special, especially getting to work with lead Halle Berry and this cast. It's a really good family, and the writing is so smart and clever. I'm excited about it. That premieres on CBS in July.
At this stage in your acting career, what are your goals for your self and the roles you're playing?
That's a good question. Being a character actor, you tend to just take what's moving in your direction. You try to find something in terms of film or television that stretches you - that breaks the glass a little bit and gives you the opportunity to discover something that you're either drawn to or afraid of.
When I was on "Grey's Anatomy" and portrayed that shooter, I didn't want to do that role to begin with. I didn't want to touch it, and yet, it's probably one of the most compelling jobs I've ever done. It put me in touch with more humanity than I would ever have imagined a character could explore or inhabit.
That's what I hope for - something to continue to teach me, to stretch me and to make me lean forward and get on the balls of my feet. Usually what that means is something that's going to frighten me. Fear is an incredible motivator. When I can't sleep after I've finished a role, I know I've done okay.
What advice would you give to Auburn student body about following your dreams, your passion and becoming successful?
The first thing that comes to mind is to be kind. There's something in the currency in the Auburn family that makes us different. A lot of people talk about it, and I don't know what the defining element is, but we're all connected. As I'm out in the world more, I've just learned to value simple kindness more - the kindness where you befriend a stranger. As much as anything for me, it's also been perseverance. I guess that's the thing that I'd recommend. I had more gumption than I had talent. I feel like those who are willing to persevere in whatever that pursuit is, even in the face of doubt, will succeed. Doubt isn't necessarily a bad thing - there isn't much courage without fear, and there's probably not much faith without doubt, but follow your desires as best you can. Persevere. Be kind.
Do you have any parting words to us current students?
Enjoy every minute of this experience at Auburn. It goes by so quickly. Once we're done at AU we're always welcomed back, but it starts with that undergraduate experience. Look after one another, and enjoy it.
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