As seen on TV

You might not know it, but you’ve probably seen Jamie McShane, R’88, before. With 117 acting credits to his name — mostly small roles in TV and film, along with commercials — he’s used to being familiar if not recognizable. But with a leading role on the Netflix series Bloodline, his acting career is taking off.
What inspired you to want to act? Whom did you look up to?
I was a little kid, maybe 4 or 5, and my mom had taken me and my siblings to see Disney’s animated Robin Hood. I came home and had a sword fight with a tree and I knew I wanted to do this. I loved M.A.S.H. I really liked watching Alan Alda. I thought he was believable and fun. And once I found Gene Hackman, he wasn’t this handsome guy like Alan Alda. They were real people. The New York Times called Hackman the “uncommon common man,” and that was really cool. That’s what I wanted to be.
Who helped you get where you are?
Richard Christian encouraged me to move to Los Angeles, and after a couple years I started getting some small bits on TV. After 13 years of acting, I got an agent named Kim Dorr. She really changed my career
Did you have any favorite classes or professors at Richmond?
My favorite class was etymology. That to me was just, I found that fascinating. Having that basic knowledge of words and where they come from, I think it’s helped my acting.
I heard you did some traveling after graduation. What was that like and how’d you get to show business?
I worked at my dad’s company that summer. I backpacked around the world then from August until about Christmas. This guy I had met in Australia said, “What do you want to do with your life?” I said, “I want to be an actor,” and he said, “Why don’t you do it?” I did a lot of hole-in-the-wall plays, that’s really how I learned my craft. I got into the union early. I did a lot of background work, stand-in work. I did that for 10 years. Then I packed my truck and drove cross-country to Los Angeles.
You’ve appeared in countless TV shows and movies. What is the highlight – or highlights?
Bloodline is the highlight of my career thus far. I’m a series regular, which for an actor is a big step. It’s a really good show. Southland and Sons of Anarchy, especially Sons, was a big breakthrough. I got to work on Argo and I worked on Gone Girl. It was pretty neat to get to work with Ben Affleck.
What advice would you give to students who want to go into acting?
You have to have a dream and really believe in it. There are plenty of times I really wanted to give up because it was so draining to not be able to get jobs. You need to learn to take rejection. Stick it out. It can be a very arduous climb.