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Liev Schreiber balances fatherhood, ‘Ray Donovan’

By WTOP Staff

RYAN PEARSON
AP Entertainment Writer

CALABASAS, Calif. (AP) — Nothing is more important than family.

That’s what the stoic Hollywood fixer played by Liev Schreiber tells his wife in the second season premiere of “Ray Donovan.” While it’s unclear whether his character believes his own words, Schreiber says that principle has shaped his career in recent years.

The actor has made it a priority to spend time with his two sons with longtime partner Naomi Watts — 6-year-old Sasha and 5-year-old Samuel. He set aside plans to direct again after 2005’s “Everything Is Illuminated.” He let others guide him into roles in theatre and on screen.

“It’s amazing how insignificant everything else becomes,” Schreiber said of his fatherhood. “It sounds romantic. But the reality is that you go brain dead for 2 1/2, 3 years and slowly return to the world. … You kind of lose all ambition.”

“That’s part of the thing about acting. It’s so easy to follow the career path that’s defined by the options presented to you,” he said. “Where with directing or producing or writing, there is a lot more self-motivation at play there.”

The 46-year-old actor looked as if he had mostly emerged from that haze during a recent shoot on the set of “Ray Donovan” in a gated neighborhood in Calabasas, the hilly Los Angeles suburb where the Kardashians and many other celebrities live.

Schreiber was directing the episode, his first gig outside of commercials in nine years. Sitting in a high folding chair, he reviewed a script on a MacBook Air, glancing up to watch cameras move into position on a monitor.

“We’re good. We’re good. We’re good,” he announced over a wireless microphone to the production crew. There was a pause. One actor was missing. “Oh right, that’s me,” he said with a tight smile, hopping up swiftly to take his mark for a scene in which Donovan confronts a music mogul and yells at his teenage daughter.

Schreiber says later he underestimated the difficulty of “pulling double duty” on the much-praised series, which weaves together stories of clergy sex abuse, unconventional family ties, violence, celebrity and Hollywood powerbrokers. The second season starts Sunday on Showtime.

“In order to do it correctly, you have to watch playback after every take. I just hated stopping … to see my own performance,” he said. “The hard part is directing without vision, without being able to see.”

It’s unclear what the future holds for “Ray Donovan,” which also stars Jon Voight, Eddie Marsan and Paula Malcomson. (Voight was nominated for an Emmy this past week for his unhinged performance as Donovan’s father, Mickey. He also won a Golden Globe for the role earlier this year.)

Schreiber and Watts have been splitting time between New York and Los Angeles in order to accommodate the shooting schedule. Schreiber says that’s been tough on his family. He yearns to return to New York full-time.

“It’s really demanding even when I’m not directing,” he said. “I should be so lucky to have this opportunity, and to be leading a company like this is pretty special.” However, he said, “to be honest, I would like to go home. I’m homesick. … If we don’t get picked up next year, is it a huge tragedy for me and my family? Absolutely not.”

Schreiber hasn’t had conversations with series creator Ann Biderman about his character’s long-term story arc, and often gets scripts for episodes three days before shooting them.

“I live literally minute to minute. It is so hard to imagine doing it again and again for me,” he said. Still, he’s found time to star as Russian chess champion Boris Spassky opposite Tobey Maguire in Edward Zwick’s “Pawn Sacrifice” and has other potential projects in development.

Back on set, Schreiber directs camera operators and fellow actors efficiently with a grim, concentrated look, sweating through temperatures over 100 degrees. After a successful sixth take, he claps his hands once — “We got it” — and returns to review the footage.

Schreiber’s face lights up when he overhears a visitor to set mention that she recently had a baby. “Have you been Ferberizing?” Schreiber asks excitedly, referring to a method of sleep training that he and Watts used for their sons. For a couple minutes, the set fades away. Schreiber is talking about his favorite role.

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Online: http://www.sho.com/sho/ray-donovan/home

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Ryan Pearson at www.twitter.com/ryanwrd

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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