Jeff Hiller, notable for his role in HBO's series as Joel, authored a memoir titled Actress of a Certain Age that encapsulates his decades-long career. Hiller portrays his experiences as a gay man in small-town Kansas and details a path that weaves through various life stages including evangelical churches, improv stages, and social work. The memoir combines past solo show performances with new writings, helping him find clarity and compassion for his younger self. He reshaped existing material into a cohesive narrative, revealing the depth of his journey to success.
I wrote it to say to that little gay kid in Texas who was bullied and told he was weird or too much or too soft, 'Hey, you didn't deserve that.'
But then I realized, why not just combine them all into a book? I already had years of polished material including stories that had been honed by trial and error in front of audiences.
Revisiting those memories proved unexpectedly cathartic for him. 'I know it sounds like therapy-speak,' he admits. 'But it really did help me find compassion for my younger self.'
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