I guess you could say I was in one of my optimistic periods. The way I figured, Oliver Stone would notice me, pull me out of the lineup and lo and behold, I'd have my big break. The call was just for crowd-scene extras, but I didn't care. Plus-and more important-Oliver Stone was coming to town to do a casting call for his upcoming movie Born on the Fourth of July, the story of paralyzed Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic. We packed a small house every night, and I was confident that I'd done a good job.
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First off, I'd just finished a production of And They Dance Real Slow in Jackson for a local theater. One day, as I was finishing up a long hard lunch shift, I found myself in a particularly upbeat mood. I was paying my dues, doing what all young actors did. Of course, most days found me hustling through a pair of swinging restaurant doors with a stack of hot plates on my arm. When I was blessed with a role I was really passionate about, I felt like I was doing something I was truly meant to do. It may sound funny, but the feeling I got when I was playing a role I connected with was that God was using me for something good. From the first part I'd played in high school (in Up the Down Staircase, thanks for asking!), there was a quality about acting that made me feel in touch with something big and mysterious and meaningful…. It was an uncertain time in my life, but one thing I was certain of: Acting meant everything to me. When I did, then I'd make the big move to NYC. I was based in Washington, D.C., where I was waiting to get my Screen Actors Guild union card. Just about the only acting cliché I wasn't fulfilling at the time was living in New York City.
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Rushing to open casting calls in between waiting tables, always worried about how to make the rent. Look up "struggling young actress" in the dictionary and you might see a picture of me, circa 1982.