British actress, singer, and now debut memoirist, Minnie Driver is best known for her roles in TV and movies (most recently, in the debut episode of the second season of Modern Love). Here, the performer shares the motivation behind her debut audiobook, Managing Expectations, how travel has influenced her career, and what she’s most looking forward to next.
What made you want to share your memoir now?
I love stories. I am interested in the stories I have lived and in the commonality we share as humans. I have spent a good deal of my life telling other people’s stories; looking at my past, and considering my future from the alleged halfway point, I was gripped by the desire to tell my own. I think, if you’re lucky, you reach a point where it’s clear that any potential growth as a human will probably be underwritten by at least a modicum self-inquiry. Memoirs offer an opportunity for a warts and all examination of your experience: a way to share the human common denominators of humor, grief, and adventure, a way to connect.
Without giving too much away—how has your background in traveling the world played into your acting and singing careers?
The great and wonderful takeaways from having travelled a lot in my life are, first, you need far fewer clothes than you think, and, second, as the self-help book I tried to ignore for years says: ‘Wherever You Go, There You Are.’
Finding myself in different cultures, in different environments, was often humbling, amazing, and bewildering as I must have somehow thought the huge stage, the South American jungle, or the sky-blocking wonder of New York City were places that would camouflage parts of myself I’d rather not deal with. I’m very glad that today I can move around the world without feeling like I’m on the run.
What are you most looking forward to next?
I am most looking forward to telling more stories. It is my favorite thing to do. I think if you can explore what you love across a multitude of disciplines, then you’re really lucky. I’m looking forward to more books and songs and movies, and nights spent dreaming about how to get them all out into the world.
