Tell our readers what it was like growing up? What was your fondest memory? I lived in a house of comedy. My father, Danny Thomas, was a very funny guy. He had a lot of comedian pals like George Burns and others who used to hang out at our house. They were laughing from the moment they arrived to the moment they left. I remember being 7 or 8 years old and going into my father’s study while he honed his comedy act. In those moments, I learned a lot of things that I’ve carried over into my own career. One of those things he said was never lie to an audience. If you stop along the way for a cheap laugh, you’ll lose them. It’s so true, and I’ve seen it happen. You came to New York to pursue your acting career. What does New York mean to you, the people, its culture, and attitude? What’s great about New York is that you’re in the traffic so to speak, of theater, art, music, politics and so much more that really isn’t available elsewhere. New York is also a very spontaneous place. You don’t have to plan something because you can simply go to the theater or a restaurant, or do almost anything else. I think anybody who’s bored in New York isn’t trying. President Obama Putting Medal on Marlo Thomas
You studied to be a school teacher? Tell our readers about the career change. I’d always wanted to be an actor, but my Dad didn’t want that for me. He came from an immigrant family of ten kids, most of whom didn’t finish high school. It was very important to my parents that we received an education. I went to college and studied teaching, and I later ended up writing my thesis on applying acting to teaching. I received an A on the paper, and my teacher wrote on the side in red I think you should go into theater, I think that’s what you really want. That’s something I’ll never forget. I remember after graduation taking my diploma home to my father and telling him that was for him, and that I was headed to New York to study acting.
I think the art of storytelling is really what the theater is all about—and you are the storyteller.
You’ve done it all from stage to studio, which would you say is your passion? For me, my favorite thing to do is be on stage live. I love to rehearse, and I especially love to do new plays. It’s quite exciting to embark on a new play with a director and group of actors and together learn what the play is about. I like the structure of it. Being able to work in front of an audience and hear their reaction whether its wonderful laughter or wonderful silence, it’s a very exciting moment to communicate. The theater is so ancient, and I think the art of storytelling is really what the theater is all about, and you are the storyteller. When the performance is over, you’ve told the story to that group of people, and tomorrow it will be totally different. NOVEMBER 2017 | NEW YORK LIFESTYLES MAGAZINE | 17