Here's The Real Reason Adam Driver Joined The Marines
With Oscar nominations for BlacKkKlansman and the Netflix original film A Marriage Story, as well as a prominent role in the recently concluded Star Wars trilogy, it’s hard to imagine that Adam Driver has not been acting his whole life. As fans may know, the two-time Oscar nominee spent several years in the Marines before becoming a Hollywood star.
And while Adam Driver was proud to serve his country, it turns out that there’s a surprising reason to why he ended up enlisting in the first place.
Here’s Why He Ended Up Enlisting In The First Place
As it turns out, Driver had been wanting to pursue acting throughout most of his life. However, it didn’t quite work out for him the first time he tried. He auditioned for Julliard but didn’t get in. That’s when he decided he move to Los Angeles and try to become a movie star. Just like that, he left Mishawaka, Indiana, saying goodbye to his girlfriend before setting out in his 1990 Lincoln Town Car with nothing but Hollywood dreams. “It was a whole event,” he recalled while speaking with The New Yorker. “Like, ‘I don’t know when we’ll see each other again. Our love will find a way.’ And then: ‘Bon voyage, small town! Hollywood, here I come!’”
Even before his could reach L.A., however, things were already not looking good. In fact, his car broke down when he was just outside of Amarillo, Texas and he spent most of his money getting it fixed. And then, when he finally reached L.A., he became the victim of “a total f****** scam” after asking a real estate agent to help him find an apartment. After that, he figured he only had enough money for gas to drive back to Mishawaka. By then, Driver felt “directionless” and decided to turn back. Shortly after he would enlist.
He Trained To Fight But Had To Leave Before He Could Deploy
Driver signed up to join the Marines when he was only 18. It was just shortly after the September 11 attacks, and he felt that he should get in the fight himself. “It wasn’t against Muslims,” Driver said. “It was: We were attacked. I want to fight for my country against whoever that is.” And that where he met the Marines. “They kind of got me with their whole ‘We don’t give you signing bonuses. We’re the hardest branch of the armed forces. You’re not going to get all this cushy s*** that the Navy or the Army gives you. It’s going to be hard,’” the actor recalled.
After going through boot camp, the actor was sent to the Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, California There, he became an 81mm mortarman. And while he trained as hard as his buddies for deployment, a mountain bike accident (he fractured his sternum) led to a medical discharge just as his unit was about to be shipped out. “I felt like I hadn't completed my four years,” Driver admitted while speaking with the Military Times. “That always kind of bothers me.”
When he got out, however, Driver managed to adjust to civilian life quite well. He also came to an important conclusion. “I suddenly realized that I could handle civilian problems.,” he said. “They all seemed pretty small by comparison.” That’s when he knew he should give acting another shot. “What could possibly be more challenging than what I've already done? Which now I realize was an illusion because obviously there's lots of things to readjust to, and civilian life is tricky,” Driver explained. “But at the time I felt very confident and at the very least, anyway, knew I wasn't going to die pursuing acting.”
This Is How Adam Driver Finally Became An Actor
After leaving the military, Driver applied to Julliard again. This time, he got in. And when he started attending, Driver realized that the famous acting school was not that different from the military. “On the surface it seemed just very polar opposite, but then I started to make the connection that the process is the thing you have to follow,” the actor explained. “It’s similar to the squad idea; it’s having a role within a unit and you have to know your role very well and the success of the story overall, or what the mission is overall, is based on the collective effort, not just knowing your role well.”
Since graduating from Julliard 2009, Driver has flourished in Hollywood. His breakout role was in the series HBO series Girls. Since then, Driver has been booking roles left and right. And while Hollywood may have been keeping Driver busy, he’s still found time to honor the men and women who serve through his non-profit, Arts in the Armed Forces. This was something he had started back when he was still in Julliard with his wife, actress Joanne Tucker (they met in acting school). Driver’s organization gives a $10,000 grant to anyone in the military who has written a film or a play.
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