Jeffrey Wright dishes on life before stardom and Westworld

It’s hard to imagine what Jeffrey Wright’s life may have been before Westworld and all the stardom–but rest assured, he’s just like us.

Westworld really put Jeffrey Wright at the top and fans instantly fell in love with this complicated host back in season 1. But before there was Westworld or stardom in general, Wright was not very different from us.

Wright did an interview with The Atlantic where he talked all about his days of learning sports and taking on odd summer jobs to make some money. Back in 1981, Wright worked at a community swimming pool in Washington D.C., a job he had gotten through a summer youth employment program in the Mayor’s office.

He worked with two other boys, one of which is the inspiration for many of the mannerisms he brings to Bernard’s character (that’s pretty cool!). Wright attended Amherst College in Massachusetts and later enrolled at the NYU Tisch School of Arts, a program he would eventually drop out of.

However, Wright has been on a roll in his career landing the titular role of Bernard on Westworld and even landing an Emmy nomination this year for Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Suffice to say, he is killing it!

Wright started acting in his junior year of undergrad and ultimately stuck with it despite being a star lacrosse player at some point. He would save up money during the summers, and use that money to get through the school year. He recalls the summer working at the swimming pool as “one of the most vividly memorable summers of my youth because of the characters that I encountered, and the intensity of the place.”

But Wright’s first acting job was at the local children’s theatre in D.C. where he would convey American History through folktales. However, his best job was at the Washington Gas company where he would fix gas mains. It was the kind of job where he made more money than he ever had before and it taught him the value of hard, honest work.

Wright has made quite the name for himself in Westworld and we admire his dedication, honesty, and talent he brings forth to playing Bernard. The series would just not be the same without his presence–right?!