(Image courtesy dtstuff9 via CC BY-SA 2.0)
Adam Driver once said the key to acting success is accepting you might fall down in front of people.
This idea of falling down while attempting to perfect something is a very apt metaphor for personal finance as well.
It was hard to get ahead financially in the United States even before the coronavirus hit.
A typical American worker only made about $48,700 annually. That sum barely equates to about $940 weekly.
The coronavirus pandemic has devastated our global economy all the way down to the local level.
Over 30.3 million Americans applied for unemployment insurance from mid-March to the final week of April.
I don’t have to tell you that we are all in for hard economic times in the future. Still, it doesn’t matter how many pennies or dollars you have in your pocket right now.
It only matters what you do with them in the future that matters. You may fall down while perfecting your own personal finances. All that matters is that you get up.
Keep this in mind as I discuss an abbreviated biography of the life of Adam Driver and his reported financial net worth.
Adam Driver Early Life
Adam Driver was born on November 19, 1983. Driver was born in San Diego, California.
After his parents divorced, his mother remarried a Baptist minister. They moved to Mishawaka, Indiana when Driver was age 7.
He graduated from Mishawaka High School in 2001 at the age of 17.
Aimless, Driver tried several vocations, and fell down several times in the process, trying to find out what he should do with his life.
Driver tried selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door.
He was a telemarketer for some time.
Driver was also a local groundskeeper and construction worker.
He even tried to become an actor this early in his life but fell down in the attempt.
After several failed work experiences out of high school, Driver drove to Los Angeles to become an actor. His car broke down in a Texas detour. He spent all his reserve money getting it fixed. Driver made it to Santa Monica, stayed 2 days, and drove back to Mishawaka broke and disillusioned.
Driver then applied to the Julliard School in New York City to study acting but was rejected.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Driver decided to join the military.
Marine Life
Shortly after the events of 9/11, Driver enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.
Driver spent over 2 years training to in the U.S.M.C. and attained the rank of lance corporal.
Driver was never athletically inclined but enjoyed the training and the sense of purpose the U.S.M.C. provided him.
Months before Driver was to be deployed to Iraq, he dislocated his sternum in a mountain biking accident.
After being medically discharged from the Marines, Driver decided to try acting again.
Driver reapplied to Julliard and was accepted. He graduated in 2009.
Driver then signed with an agent and slowly began his ascent to Hollywood superstardom.
Road to Superstardom
In 2010, Driver started his acting career in off-Broadway plays like Angels in America.
After paying his dues in stage plays, Driver landed the role of, “Adam Sackler,” on Lena Dunham’s HBO hit Girls in 2012.
Driver was nominated for several Emmy awards for his work on Girls.
That would be the role that springboard him to Hollywood stardom. However, Driver took the more circuitous route to superstardom.
Driver enjoys story-driven and not the CGI and expensive spectacle of cinema. So, he spent years perfecting his craft in relatively low-budget independent films before becoming a blockbuster star.
Driver has appeared in dozens of films since 2011 and is not slowing down.
In 2011, he appeared in Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar. By 2012, he got a role in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln.
By 2015, he was cast as the villainous and iconic Kylo Ren in J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The film grossed over $2 billion at the box office.
Driver was reportedly paid about $650,000 to star in The Force Awakens. He also received a percent of box office receipts.
Driver reprised the role in subsequent sequels Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Both films grossed over $1 billion respectively.
Even though Driver’s name is now synonymous with blockbuster hits, his creative heart belongs to smaller cinematic productions.
In 2016, Driver starred in the film Paterson. It was directed by Jim Jarmusch.
Paterson is about an ordinary bus driver who dreams of becoming a poet. The total budget for Paterson was $5 million.
Paterson was a critical hit but a commercial disappointment.
The same could be said for his recent, critically acclaimed films Marriage Story and The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.
Personal Life and Net Worth
Driver is notoriously protective of his personal life. He married actress Joanne Tucker in 2013. They have a son and live in New York City.
Driver and Tucker both launched Arts in the Armed Forces. It’s a nonprofit organization which organizes small-scale theater performances for members of the military.
Driver is reportedly worth about $10 million. That may be a very conservative estimate relative to his recent professional successes.
There is no public information available to verify this information.
So, its plain to see that Adam Driver was no overnight success as an actor. He fell down a lot on his way to superstardom.
While its interesting to ponder what Driver’s net worth may be, take the time to consider your own net worth.
What is your net worth now? What will it be in the future? What will it take to achieve such goals?
You may fall down. But for the sake of your personal finance, you must get up.
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Allen Francis was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years with no money, no financial literacy, and no responsibility when he had money. To him, the phrase “personal finance,” contains the power that anyone has to grow their own wealth. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including focusing on your needs instead of your wants, asking for help when you need it, saving and investing in your own small business.