Sam Waterstonon Grace And Frankie

Finding Humanity and Humor in Aging
 

- Thomas G. Fiffer

The first thing you see when you meet Sam Waterston is his trademark sweep of silver hair contrasting those bushy black eyebrows, a pairing that gives his chiseled face the gravitas of a district attorney like the one he played on Law and Order. But as you take in the rest of his features, the serious look softens, brightened by twinkly brown eyes that beam when he smiles. Recently, I had breakfast with Waterston, a long time Litchfield County, CT resident, at Arethusa a Mano, a new bakery in Bantam serving Nitro cold brew and pastries made with farm fresh ingredients. After our espressos arrived, I asked Waterston what made him want to be an actor.

A: Oh wow, that’s going back a long way. My father had been an actor in college. My parents both did plays. They both taught at a boarding school. My father directed the plays in the boarding school, and he put me in one when I was six. It was “Antigone,” and I played the Page. I had this extraordinary experience. I had two sisters and a brother, and they didn’t come. I was there with my father late at night with all the coolest guys in the school. So that was addictive. One thing led to another.

Q: So you were bitten by the bug early?

A: Yes, but I don’t know how seriously I took it at the time.

I also wanted to be a fighter pilot and a priest. I wanted to be in the foreign service. But I’m glad I went the way I did. It’s a great profession, if they let you do it. It’s great fun.

Q: So who were some of your role models as you began to develop your craft?