Kevin Chamberlin began his career on the stage of a community theater in South Jersey. Now, roughly 50 years later, Chamberlin has performed numerous times on Broadway, appeared alongside Bruce Willis in “Die Hard” and has become a childhood icon for his role in the Disney Channel show “Jessie.”
Chamberlin visited as part of Miami University’s lecture series Monday, April 6.
The actor began his lecture by showing clips from his work in “Road to Perdition” and “Die Hard.” Following those clips, Chamberlin dedicated much of the video to showing some of the most iconic scenes from his time on “Jessie.”
With thunderous applause, Chamberlin walked up to the podium and thanked the audience for coming. Following the greeting, the actor made a joke that Miami students are very familiar with.
“When I first got the call from my agent that said, ‘Do you want to go speak at Miami University?’ — I’m sure you get this all the time,” Chamberlin said, alluding to his next sentence. “[I was thinking] Sun! Sand! Beach! But, your campus is really beautiful, it really is.”
After acting professionally for approximately 40 years, Chamberlin has learned to reinvent himself and trust his instincts with every new opportunity. He attributes his ability to evolve to realizing the importance of being a “learner for life.”
He talked about graduating from Rutgers University in 1985 and moving to New York shortly after. Once in the city, he realized that he needed a job — because everything is expensive in the city. He would take on odd jobs just to pay the bills while auditioning and going to workshops on his days off.
However, after some time, he finally got his first acting gig — Santa Claus at Macy’s.
“Nothing could have prepared me for the first baby acting job that I got,” Chamberlin said. “This job would teach me how to be gracious, how to be kind. It was a crash course in child psychology, marriage counseling, a reality check of the inequities of capitalism, and a lesson in being given unwanted power.”
These early jobs taught him some valuable lessons, which he broke down into seven rules to live by. The first is to make yourself available for the unexpected. As Santa, Chamberlin would have to prepare himself for every scenario when a new kid sat on his lap while still staying in character.
His next two rules were “find the joy” and “be savvy.” Chamberlin used the term “find the joy” in his one-man show of the same name. In any job, he recommends finding the joy wherever you can, even if it’s the last thing you want to do, because people will notice and want to be around you.
“[When people ask for one piece of advice], I tell everyone, don’t give them the power. Take the power for yourself, and use that to show them what you have to give,” Chamberlin said.
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Similarly, Chamberlin’s fourth rule was that “knowledge is power,” which he used to segue into what he has been up to since the COVID-19 pandemic: Making TikToks. He avoided social media for a long time because he had witnessed its negatives firsthand, but eventually, he was convinced to join.
During a Broadway camp he was hosting in 2019, a student asked him to film a TikTok, and it went viral. This was his first real experience with social media.
“It was crazy,” Chamberlin said. “And to tell you the truth, it really brought me a lot of joy connecting with all of my friends.”
However, that TikTok quickly turned into a rumor that he had died, which spiraled out of control. Chamberlin said it turned into an existential crisis, but was also very moving.
“I felt like Tom Sawyer really attended his own funeral,” Chamberlin said. “Who hasn’t secretly fantasized about attending their own funeral, you know?”
He then talked about his involvement in the “Ratatouille” TikTok musical and how he became a part of that through social media. It was the first-ever crowdsourced musical, and it raised over $2 million for the Entertainment Community Fund, formerly known as the Actors Fund, which raises money for performing arts workers.
He also did commercial work for the grocery store Sprouts, which also came to be through TikTok. He wrote songs and put together eight ads for the brand.
“I was now a composer, a producer, a writer, a director and I filmed it all on my iPhone,” Chamberlin said.
His final two rules were to “embrace your quirks” and “go the extra mile.” He said it is important not to compare yourself to others, and that you never know why someone else gets hired instead of you.
Chamberlin said his father always believed the most successful people are those who go the extra mile.
“Most people give 75 or 80%, be the one who gives 110%, and people will always remember you,” Chamberlin said.
He emphasized the importance of having good friends and a solid network. He also believes that it’s important to learn people’s names.
His last rule was the “law of two feet.” If you weren’t contributing to or gaining anything from a situation, leave. If it’s toxic, leave. He said to find a place where your perspective and participation are more meaningful. He also said that you will learn more about yourself from failures than from successes.
“You’re gonna make mistakes,” Chamberlin said. “You’re gonna get fired. You’re gonna sleep with the wrong people if you haven’t already. But trust me, that’s gonna make you a better person.”
After the lecture, Chamberlin accepted questions from the audience, many of whom told him that he was their whole childhood. Chamberlin got emotional toward the end.
Stella Miesen, a first-year psychology major, knew Chamberlin from his work in “Jessie.” She said she was surprised by how much of what he talked about had to do with his time on Broadway, which she found especially interesting.
“He just seems like such a lovable guy, like he seems so sweet,” Miesen said. “I was telling my friend that he seems like he gives such good hugs. I love how authentic he was, and he was making me laugh so hard, but he also made me tear up.”
First-year political science major Matilda Growcock also watched Chamberlin when he was on “Jessie.” She came to the lecture not just to see a figure from her childhood, but also to hear and support Chamberlin’s work in theater and the arts.
“Theater, media and all those things are very fun for me to keep my spirit alive and [keep me] wanting to continue doing a hard job,” Growcock said.
Jonah Sievers, a first-year political science and integrated social studies education major, knew Chamberlin from his Broadway career and enjoyed listening to his lecture.
“I was so blown away,” Sievers said. “He is very talented in that he can deliver things in such a comedic way, but it’s [also] spur of the moment. Like he’s being himself. He was very intellectual without being too complicated to understand.”
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