Thanks to the generosity of Val Kilmer's dad, Kevin was soon enrolled at Juilliard and living in a small apartment with a bunch of other kids who Val's dad didn't want living in his spare room. Kevin felt like he had finally found a home. He called his mom to tell her he had arrived safely and already had a place to live and was going to this incredible school and had changed his name, but his sister refused the call when the operator said it was from Kevin Spacey. Kevin decided he'd just send a postcard later.

Juilliard was not the experience Kevin hoped it would be. He was constantly in conflict with his teachers and more than once was told to leave the classroom when he told the teachers "That's not how we did it in high school." and "I directed, acted in and designed the sets for 'Boy in a Beret'. I don't need somebody telling *me* how to act." and of course, some of the teachers didn't like this and suggested Kevin switch to Creative Accounting and Tax Evasion. Kevin hadn't heard that Julliard taught Math, but if the teachers thought it was a good idea, who was he to second guess them? 

Unfortunately, once again  academics were Kevin's undoing and  he left school after just a few years. He dropped his new name. He worked at a series of odd jobs to support himself. Waiter. Cable subscription salesman. Weightlifter.

It was while selling cable subscriptions that Kevin met a man who would change his life. Joseph Papp. He gave Kevin a job taking notes and copying papers. Taking out the trash. Writing letters and answering mail from the hundreds of people who wrote every day. Answering the phones. Running errands. Going to the post office. Sometimes, they even let him sweep the floors at the end of the day. Kevin loved doing these things. Kevin felt he could stay there forever. But once again, fate had other plans for Kevin Whatever-his name-was-now.

Kevin got a really bad paper cut one day while copying notes he had taken the day before. Joe, or Mr. Papp as his friends called him, didn't think the cut was that bad and offered to get Kevin a band-aid, but Kevin worried that the cut would lead to infection and he'd end up having to have his finger cut off and he'd probably get some horrible disease while in the hospital and there goes the whole hand ... 

Joe told Kevin he was in the wrong job. He should be on the stage. Kevin said he loved his note taking job too much to ever leave it. Joe told him to get out of his office and not to come back. So Kevin left and after working at odd acting jobs for a few months he landed a small role in a play which led to other plays. Kevin's old friend Mare was now an Emmy winning actress and Val was starting to work in movies. Kevin worked on several off-Broadway productions and finally landed a job in a real Broadway play! 

 Kevin sees GHOSTS!

© 2001 Driving Mr. Spacey!