Rory Scovel

I will say, as someone who started to do stand-up, but also wanted to act and be in stuff, I don't know that I ever thought I'd get as far as I currently have gotten in any of the things that I've done.

I thought it was great just to get to be in a few commercials when I lived in New York City.

I thought, oh, wow, people will see that.

You're sort of...

driven by, I want people to see that I did succeed at stand-up.

Yes.

Specifically, when you say people, it's like family and friends that you grew up with.

Sure.

Be like, hey, I chose a different path and I want to show you it worked out.

So you're driven to sort of prove that you think you're good enough to do these things, to be an actor and maybe be in something, to be a stand-up and do it.

And I think...

something happens where you get to a point and you realize while that might have been a good motivating factor early on, it also shouldn't be a motivating factor in general as an artist because you don't create anything new and you also don't necessarily put anything out there that's wildly personal or vulnerable or has the potential to fail because you are specifically trying to succeed to show other people you succeeded.

And again...

I think that is a fine motivating factor early on.

But then eventually you go, well, who am I doing this for?

And you sort of reconfigure who you think you are as an artist.

So myself, now 44, going through the thing I just described, I think for a while I wanted my dad to notice me doing this.

I wanted him to be like,

Oh, wow, my son is funny and accomplished these things.

And I think that was my dad's.