This week I had a fantastic interview with actor and director Donal Logue. He was incredibly genuine and down-to-earth, and had some great stories to share. I was surprised to learn that, like all of us, he has had to overcome obstacles, but his passion for life and work remains steadfast.

You may know Donal best from his roles in movies such as Tao of Steve,Sneakers, Gettysburg, Jerry McGuire and Runaway Bride, but I was shocked to find out that he played the role of Jimmy McBride, the quirky cab driver with the cult following from MTV promos (www.donallogue.com). To be honest, I had a great laugh because to look at him he’s sort of unrecognizable, yet his achievements in Hollywood are pretty grand!

We talked about how much fun he had creating the character of Jimmy McBride.  He said it brought him back to his Harvard days (!) when he was doing plays and his love of creating comical characters. A friend of his convinced him to get back to his comic roots and they shot the first spots with nothing more than a steady cam. These two did all the work themselves, not waiting for any sort of permission. Donal went on to say that if they went through the agents, managers and network decision makers it may have never gotten done.

In the acting industry you go out on audition after audition waiting for someone to give you permission to do what you love. However, many actors now are stepping out and creating pieces on their own. With all the online video outlets now available, you can forgo waiting for someone else to give you your “big break” and just create it yourself! How exciting!

Personally, this is something I can very much relate to. When I came out to LA I was in that same space – waiting for someone else to validate my talent and passion. It was only after about a year of being on that frustrating wheel that I decided I was going to step off and go in my own direction. Now I find great stories to share and host my own inspirational interviews. Inspired Living was born only because I didn’t wait for permission to make it happen!