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The pair sat down with Mariska Hargitay to discuss their careers ahead of Hello Sunshine’s Shine Away event on October 11th.
Karen Pittman shocked her co-stars with her pre-acting work.
Reese Witherspoon, Pittman, and Mariska Hargitay reflected on their remarkable careers during the panel discussion “Connecting Passion with Purpose” at Hello Sunshine’s “Shine Away” event in mid-October. Although the two are now well-known for their roles in TV and movies, Witherspoon, 49, was surprised to learn that Pittman, 39, led a completely different life before getting in front of the camera.
“Are you sure you worked in finance?” Witherspoon asked her Morning Show co-star.
“I worked in finance,” Pittman answered.
Emma McIntyre/Getty, Hello Sunshine
The shocked Legally Blonde star declared: “How are we learning this now?”
“I worked in finance, but we only worked together for seven years,” Pittman quipped, to which Witherspoon repeated, “I had no idea!”
“I mean, most of them were cash-grab jobs, but I did it,” the And Just Like That… alum explained. “After working, I realized that money isn’t everything, and I found a passion for something else.”
Pittman went on to talk about the impact acting has had on her life, crediting many of the characters for helping her come to terms with her past and move on in a healthy way.
“Acting became that for me, a way to manage my hurt and pain,” she said. “But once you get to a certain place in your work, that wound becomes traumatic and becomes a fatal impediment to actually doing good work. So you have to go back and find another way.”
“I think acting in many ways has helped me heal,” she continued. “It didn’t lead me anywhere except to go back inside myself in many ways when I allowed myself to do so.”
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When asked who inspired her to pursue her passion in life, Pittman once again gave an unexpected but heartwarming answer.
“I can do it, I,” she said. “I think we have to be really, really brave. I think over time we’re conditioned to not prioritize ourselves. And how painful is that?”
She added that her mother and daughter have also been her inspiration, along with friends who look up to her as a black actress.
“It’s a small burden, not a huge burden,” Pittman acknowledged. “But when women of color see me as Mia Jordan or Dawn Edwards or Naya Wallace, I know I represent something. So it’s also an inspiration for me to keep going, and I need that. And just seeing people who love me and insist that I deserve the best.”
