Acclaimed actor, travel writer, and director Andrew McCarthy (“Orange is the New Black”) chatted about his new book “Walking with Sam.”
Olympic gold medalist and world champion swimmer Michael Phelps once said: “You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.” This quote applies to Andrew McCarthy.
In his new book, McCarthy walks 500 miles across Spain’s Camino de Santiago with his eldest son Sam.
‘Walking with Sam’ book
On his inspiration to write this book, McCarthy said, “The first time I did the walk, it changed my life, it was a real life-changer, and I thought that my son might benefit from the same walk… and so he did.”
“What inspired me to write it ultimately was the notion of my son wanting to walk across the Finisterre, which involved an additional three days that I didn’t do, and that really touched me,” he said.
“The metaphor of the walk was one of the relationship too, and I thought it was very touching to me. There was a book in that,” he added.
McCarthy is embarking on his “Walking with Sam” book tour to promote his latest book. On Wednesday, May 10, McCarthy will be at Barnes & Noble in New York’s Union Square.
Inspirations as an actor and filmmaker
On his daily inspirations as an actor and filmmaker, McCarthy said, “If I am not trying to make something, I tend to implode a little bit. One of the beautiful things about writing is that you don’t have to wait for anybody to try and give you an opportunity to do it.”
“I’ve been acting for 40 odd years, and I’ve directed a bunch in the last couple of years too,” he admitted. “All of these things just motivate me. I like making things and if I don’t, then I just don’t know what I am doing. Hopefully, I am making good things… if it’s not then at least, I am doing what I feel I am supposed to be doing”
Speaking of directing, he is known for his work on the hit series “Orange is the New Black.” “That was great,” he exclaimed. “I did that on and off for seven years, and it was really interesting to watch it grow from when we first did it.”
“It was fun to be a part of something so exciting at the time such as ‘Orange is the New Black’,” he added.
On being an actor and filmmaker in the digital age, McCarthy said, “I can barely click a Zoom link. I feel like I am constantly scrambling to keep my head above water.”
‘Brat Pack’ documentary
Regarding his plans for the future, McCarthy shared that he is “putting the finishing touches on a documentary” about his days in the “Brat Pack.” “Being in the ‘Brat Pack’ was life-changing for all of us,” he said.
“The ‘Brat Pack’ defined who I would be perceived as to this day. The paradox of that was that it defined us but we didn’t feel like it was seeing us so that was an odd experience,” he said.
McCarthy continued, “We were in this club, so I went back and hunted everybody down such as Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, and Demi Moore… so to go back and see them all again was a wonderful experience, and we realized we had so much affection for each other. That was a great experience, and hopefully, this documentary will be out in the fall.”
Dream acting partners
When asked about his dream acting partners, McCarthy said, “Most of them are dead, but I’ve always loved Montgomery Clift; maybe we will act in the next world together. I do love Gary Oldman though, I think he is a terrific actor. I’ve always found him very engaging, inventive, and exciting to watch.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, McCarthy said with a sweet laugh, “A Shitshow.” “I am all over the place right now,” he said.
‘Heaven Help Us’ film
He recalled starring as Michael Dunn in the 1985 comedy “Heaven Help Us,” which was directed by Michael Dinner. “That movie was one of my favorites from my early years,” he said. “It wasn’t a Brat Pack movie but it was made right around that time.”
“I haven’t seen it in decades but I think that is one that would hold up very well,” he added. “There are certain Catholic school survivors that would see me on the street, they stop me, come up to me, and they would tell me that ‘Heaven Help Us was our life’. That movie was autobiographical for the writer Charles Purpura, that was basically his life.”
For young and aspiring actors and filmmakers, he said, “Don’t listen to the grownups, do your thing.”
Success
On his definition of the word success, McCarthy said, “Success is the feeling you get when you get closest to who you know yourself to be, and whatever you do that does that, and what you ought to do in life.”
Closing thoughts about his new book, thanks the fans
For his fans, McCarthy remarked, “I think their commitment and affection is amazing, and I so appreciate it. I represent a certain moment in youth to a certain generation, and that’s a beautiful thing. I’m the avatar of a certain generation’s youth and I have come to really embrace that.”
“I hope the fans find my new book relatable to them,” he admitted. “It’s a travel book but it’s also about parenting and hopefully, it’s an internal journey about getting to know yourself as a parent, and getting to know your kid. It’s a journey across Spain.”
“Walking with Sam” by Andrew McCarthy is available on Amazon by clicking here.
To learn more about actor and author Andrew McCarthy, follow him on Instagram, and visit his website.
