Joel Benenson

I think what is important, whether you are Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, is to embrace and own your identity. I think that's not political. That's good in life, and it certainly is the best way to be when you are running for office. If you don't do that, the voters will see through it.

Actors on stage, you can go from playing a myriad of roles, from Shakespeare to a Eugene O'Neil drama, and it's the norm. I came up in a world where you're supposed to be able to do three things very well. Act, sing, dance, paint, do something. The emphasis was on versatility.