Could I Have Been?

Don’t you ever wonder
Maybe if things had been slightly different
You could be somebody else?
Don’t you wonder maybe
If you took a left turn
Instead of taking a right
You could be somebody different?

Don’t you ever wonder
Could I have been
Don’t you ever wonder?
Anyone, anyone
Don’t you ever wonder?
Don’t you ever wonder?
Anyone, anyone, anyone

Could I have been a parking lot attendant?
Could I have been a millionaire in Bel Air?
Could I have been lost somewhere at Red Rocks?
Could I have been your little sister?

Could I have been anyone other than me?
Could I have been anyone other than me?
Could I have been anyone other than me?
Could I have been anyone? -Dave Matthews Band, song “Dancing Nancies”

“I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let’s face it. It was you, Charley.” -Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy in On The Waterfront

Do you ever wonder if you could be somebody else? Live their life? See what they see? Feel what they feel?

That’s one of the great things about being an actor. Especially if you fully commit and inhabit the character. You get to be somebody else. For a little while anyway. And in the process, you and the audience gain greater insight and empathy for the human condition. That’s a pretty noble calling.

Don’t woulda coulda shoulda. Find the role and go make your art.

P.S. – This song. This scene. This monologue.