“I moved into a room that was about 5 by 5 in Bushwick. I could touch both sides of the wall with both hands. Although I am from Boston, I never really came here as a kid, so I didn’t know what New York City was like. I slept on an air mattress for six months until I could finally afford a real mattress. At the time, I worked retail full-time and would go to auditions on my off-days and see what I could do..."