STUDYING UP

Where nine of our favorite actors schooled themselves in the craft

By Jenna Scherer

IT’S A QUESTION NEARLY EVERY YOUNG ACTOR HAS ASKED

themself: Where should I go to school to pursue my craft? Some know early on exactly what they want to do, and they study acting or drama in undergrad or grad school; others come to acting a little later, after they’ve already started on a different path and decided to change tack. Others, still, choose to drop out of college when their careers come knocking. And then there are those who eschew formal schooling altogether.

If you’re trying to decide where to start, a good jumping-off point is to find out how your favorite performers made their own educational journeys. With that in mind, here’s a crash course on where some of the big names who have graced the pages of Backstage studied their craft (or didn’t!).

Riz Ahmed

Actor, rapper, and musician Ahmed has always been a multihyphenate—and his education bears that out. The “Sound of Metal” Oscar nominee attended Christ Church, Oxford University, where he studied philosophy, politics, and economics before moving on to pursue acting at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Gillian Anderson

Before her big breakout on “The X-Files,” Anderson spent her youth between London and Michigan. She returned to her native Chicago to get her BFA in acting at the Theatre School at DePaul University in 1990. Three years later, Anderson landed the role of Agent Dana Scully, which would eventually earn her an Emmy and a Golden Globe.

Sacha Baron Cohen

Known for fearlessly diving into the cesspool of American politics in his “Borat” films, Baron Cohen got into talking politics early. He studied history at Christ’s College, Cambridge University, and wrote his thesis on the U.S. civil rights movement. It’s also where he first took an interest in acting as a member of the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club.

Angela Bassett

Bassett has always been a go-getter, as evidenced by her double education at Yale University. She attended the Ivy for undergrad, majoring in African American studies, and then was weighing whether to study molecular physics and biochemistry or acting in grad school. Fans of her work (read: basically everyone) can thank all the stars that she chose the second route, leading her to the Yale School of Drama.

Kingsley Ben-Adir

Ben-Adir was bitten by the acting bug early on, so it was a no-brainer for him to apply to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. The “One Night in Miami”

SACHA BARON COHEN: CARLOTTA MOYE; EUGENE LEVY: DEBORAH DIVINE; STEVEN YEUN: GARI ASKEW II; ANGELA BASSETT: GARI ASKEW II

Sacha Baron Cohen Eugene Levy

breakout studied there for three years, and he told Backstage that he still lives by a piece of advice that his Guildhall voice coach, Patsy Rodenburg, gave him right before he graduated: Use the first five years of your career to learn, and your work will really start taking off after that.

Jessica Chastain

We’d be remiss not to include a Juilliard School alum in this list, and one of its most famous graduates is certainly Oscar and BAFTA Award nominee Chastain. An actor from a young age, Chastain began her conservatory education at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. From there, she was accepted to Juilliard, where her education was funded by a scholarship in

Eugene Levy

Comedy legend Levy was never much for school. The “Schitt’s Creek” Emmy winner attended Ontario’s McMaster University, frequently cutting class to devote his time to the school’s drama club and film board, and dropped out in his second year. But his short time studying there led him to meet collaborators that he’d work with throughout his career, including Martin Short and filmmaker Ivan Reitman.

Steven Yeun

Yeun was majoring in psychology at Michigan’s Kalamazoo College when he stumbled upon improv comedy. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree, the “Minari” Oscar nominee followed fellow Kalamazoo alum Jordan Klepper to Chicago, where the two became members of the famed Second City. Five years later, he booked his breakout acting role on “The Walking Dead.”

Ramy Youssef

“Ramy” writer-star Youssef was interested in comedy, acting, and writing from an early age, but he told Backstage that he initially thought of it as a hobby. So he double majored in political science and economics at Rutgers University while improvising at the PIT and the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre on the side. Eventually, he dropped out of Rutgers to study in a two-year program at the William Esper Studio in New York City.

Angela Bassett