After 9 months, I felt it was time to catch up with actor/producer/director Tony Goldwyn. On Monday, January 25th, Tony payed a visit to USC Annenberg’s Entertainment and Business Journalism class, where students are working together to plan a night of television programming. Fresh off the Iowa campaign trail, Goldwyn strode in wearing a crisp, blue-collared shirt and black boots. Is your inner fangirl satisfied? Okay. Now onto the real stuff. Here’s what he had to say about the State of the Entertainment Industry!

On Celebrities & Political Activism –

“It’s exciting! This is the first time I’ve actively campaigned. I think, either do it or don’t do it. Really do it or don’t. Little did I know how exhausting that would be. And I’m the President of the United States. That’s embarrassing.”

“Celebrity used to make me feel very uncomfortable. [But I think] having your voice heard is not just a right but a responsibility.”

On #ScandalABC and the Power of Live Tweeting –

“Twitter made our show a hit. Our followers have been devoted from the beginning, before the network was even promoting it. ABC latched on [to Twitter] about halfway through the second season.”

“TV has become ‘a la carte’. Twitter now made it an event, which is good for the network and for advertisers.” #TGIT

“I do know how many followers I have. [Jokingly] I check two times a day. It’s allowed me to develop a very personal relationship with fans. I think I spot a couple here.”*

*Note: I firmly believe he was referring to me ;)

On Pursuing Opportunity –

“[Ghost, 1990] was a huge event in my life. In the 80’s you were either a TV or movie actor. That really didn’t change until the late 90’s. When I came out to L.A. I thought: ‘my soul can’t tolerate this.’ [As a theatre actor] I could barely get an audition for Ghost.[…] I petitioned the director directly. I called him up and said: ‘I know you’re taking a risk with me but it’ll pay off.”

“My grandfather came from Poland to the United States on foot. He worked in a glove factory and became a very successful regional salesman. One day he wandered into a Western nickelodeon and got turned onto film. He said: ‘That’s it. That’s the next big thing.'[…] He bought rights to plays and put them onscreen. […] He made The Squaw Man, Hollywood’s first feature film.”

On Improving Diversity in Film and Television –

“It’s on us as creators or producers. Richard and I felt we had an opportunity. With AMC, we sought female women of color as directors. And then women. And then men of color.”

On Screenwriting & His Scandal Character –

“We trust Shonda [Rhimes] to go where she goes. It would have been easy to write Fitz off as a scumbag, and most people thought he was in the first season, but he became much more complex. He has a big heart.”

Finally, On Journalists –

“The best conversations I have with journalists are when we can actually have a conversation. Not an agenda.”

I hope the quotes were enough to satisfy you during this Scandal hiatus! After the chat, I politely asked if I could take his photo for my blog. That’s the way to do it, folks! Remember that actors are people, and if you can put your fangirling and your Marketing homework aside, you just might get to spend the evening receiving incredible insight from them for your blog.

Now, about that homework…