Clarke played the role of Grant Putnam in the hit ABC soap opera, General Hospital in the ’80s. “That was a great time to be a part of it. I come into a show that already had an audience, and it was the dominant entity,” he said.
On the impact of technology on the entertainment business, especially with streaming services being so dominant, Clarke said, “I like competition. I also like seeing more people in the industry to get more opportunities to work. Technology is wonderful in that regard. One of my favorite network shows is This Is Us.”
Clarke continued, “Most of the writing on the streaming services is unreal. I watched Black Earth Rising on Netflix, and it was terrific. I also feel a special connection to Rebellion. Also, on Amazon, we have fallen in love with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
His advice for aspiring actors is to “write.” “In today’s world, especially, writing is a great way to potentially create work for themselves, and it is a great way to see and understand the process of how characters are developed,” he said. “I grew up with an aversion to writing, which was very extreme. My writing was enhanced over time, but I wanted to be an actor. My interest was exclusively in front of the lens. I liked performing and taking somebody else’s words and trying to make them palatable and entertaining at the very least.”
Clarke defined the word success as “spending time with your family and friends.”
In addition, his son, Sean Clarke, is an acclaimed pole vaulter from the University of Pennsylvania. Acknowledging that it takes a village for his son to be the pole vaulter that he is today, Clarke expressed his gratitude to distinguished pole vault coach Greg Duplantis.
