Athletics provided a life preserver for me, and that maybe kept me out of trouble. I never partied in high school. I mostly just dated.

It took me a few years to realize I might want to get into acting as a profession.

When I was playing football, I was getting up to 240 pounds, and they wanted me to get to 260.

Your basic physical makeup does influence the parts you’re offered. If you’re big, they cast you either dumb or tough, although there are exceptions. Clint Eastwood and James Arness carved out niches for themselves in...