Longtime stage and screen actor Bill Camp nearly quit Hollywood 15 years ago, citing a distaste for endless auditions and unsatisfying roles. Lured back after a two-year hiatus, Camp has built a steady career of supporting roles in award-winning films -- 12 Years a Slave, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) -- and recurring arcs on Damages, Manhattan and The Leftovers, earning his first-ever Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his work on HBO���s The Night Of.
���It���s been 25 years. And not that this should mark anything, but what it does is it reminds me of all the really awesome people I���ve worked with over all these years and all the stuff that I���ve learned,��� Camp tells ET by phone.��
���Something occurred to me the other day and it was just that,��� he says, referring to the period in 2002, shortly after he won an Obie Award for Tony Kushner���s��Homebody/Kabul, when he was ready to give up acting and, according to the Village Voice, pursue a career as a mechanic. As he puts it: ���I had no real intention of getting back into acting. I was actually beginning to pursue another [area] of interest that had nothing to do with performance or anything to do with the business.���
However, a friend eventually convinced Camp to think twice about his decision. ���He said, ���You know, you were probably pretty good at that. Just try it again and maybe you���ll enjoy it more, or maybe it will be different, maybe it will have a different meaning to you,������ Camp recalls.
Back in the game with a renewed interest and a lack of ego (���I���m more teachable and less close-minded about the work���), Camp says he has more clarity and focus when it comes to acting. ���The target is doing the best work I can possibly do,��� he explains.
Bill Camp as Dennis Box on The Night Of.
Photo: HBO
And soon Camp found himself being directed by the likes of Alejandro G. I����rritu, Michael Mann and Steven Spielberg, who all taught him to be honest in his work. When it came to Stephen Frears, who directed the actor in Tamara Drewe, Camp recalls ���him making me feel OK.��� Being able to listen and communicate with these directors led him further down the path of strong roles, ultimately landing two standout parts as David Burton on The Leftovers (���It���s just a giant gift I���ve been given,��� he says of the show co-created by Damon Lindelof) and Dennis Box on The Night Of.
On the latter, a miniseries about a Pakistani-American college student (Riz Ahmed) accused of murdering a young woman after a night of partying, Camp plays a veteran homicide detective who aggressively investigates the case, pinning it all on one kid only to realize he had it all wrong. And it was on this set where Camp���s years of listening paid off. Having established a dialogue with co-creator and co-director Steven Zaillian, the actor knew exactly what he wanted out of him in the role. ���Before I even read the first episode, I had a real understanding [of the character] and I leaned into him in a way that was so engaged. I was so excited when I was given the opportunity,��� Camp says.
Not only was The Night Of a critical hit, earning 10 Emmy nominations, it also made the industry take further notice of Camp. ���More people know who I am or what I can do,��� Camp says, adding: ���I���m encouraged by the fact that people liked it so much.��� And the attention will only be bolstered by his roles in the Sundance hit Crown Heights, which is in theaters on Aug. 25, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Yorgos Lanthimos��� upcoming psychological thriller starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell.
Indeed, both Camp and his wife, Elizabeth Marvel, who���s had back-to-back scene-stealing roles on House of Cards, Fargo and Homeland, are enjoying what can certainly be considered career highs. ���We dance in the living room,��� Camp says of their shared success. ���We���ve been doing this since a long time ago [and] we take stock in it. We think how lucky we are and that we���re really grateful that we���re still around.���
In fact, it���s made him think about his career, especially the last 15 years, after nearly quitting. ���It���s like, ���Wow, it seems to be working out that I came back to do this������ Camp says, ���Not just because of an Emmy or any other kind of deal, [but] because I���ve enjoyed it since coming back a lot. But also how important it was that I did stop.��� ��
