70 Who Do You Think You Are?
My purpose is to ensure that when I pass from this planet people
have wonderful things to say, and that, like Obi-Wan Kenobi said, “If
you strike me down I shall become more powerful than you could possibly
imagine.” So, it’s not in my acting, it’s in my living and doing that creates
the person I am on this planet. I think that I am an amazing human being
that the universe created to do wondrous work for other human beings.
That’s what really defines me. If someone says, “Oh my god she’s great
because she took the time, she prayed with me, she spent time with me,
I got to know her,” I have created a personal relationship with that person.
That’s the thing that lasts when the celluloid disappears.
What event or series of events led to your discovery?
There have been so many it’s not funny. I think that everybody has a
downfall at one point in their life in order to find the make and measure
of who they are as a human being, and I have had many downfalls.
Significant ones. Dramatic ones that were basically do or die, at least in
my mind. They forced me to ask the question, “Who am I?” They forced
me to ask the question, “Is there a God?” They forced me to cry out in
need of something beyond myself. They made me say, “If there is a God,
prove to me that I am worthy to be here. Help me understand the journey
of my purpose on this planet.”
When Spirit speaks it feels so good. Having a giving nature, and
knowing how to do that is a part of every being’s journey on this planet.
When you give, it feels good. So, part of it is, I am grateful that I am
recognized as someone who is worthy to give, and at the same time my
ego enjoys the “feel good” of it.
If you could give advice to those who are still searching for their
purpose in life, what would it be?
It depends on one’s belief system, but I personally think the universe has
a plan for each and every one of us. Each and every one of us is significant.
I volunteer at a lot of “at risk” teen organizations in conjunction with the
Department of Juvenile Justice and the California Youth Authority, and
this is something I always tell them. Say you were a Rolex watch, and
that Rolex watch was made of platinum, diamonds, the most fantastic
metals, the most fantastic artistry and workings in the world. What if the
smallest mechanism broke down, and you were that small mechanism.
What happens to the entire watch? It breaks down. It doesn’t serve its