Stephen Tobolowky spoke to students about his career on Wednesday. (Sidney Hollingsworth/The Daily Campus)

The Mack Ballroom was packed with people Wednesday at noon to welcome actor, director, writer and SMU alumnus Stephen Tobolowsky for a lecture and signing of his new book, The Dangerous Animals Club.

Though the funny man is certainly known for his humor, Tobowlosky does in fact have a more serious side. Of course this did not prevent him from cracking the audience up throughout his lecture, as Tobowlosky narrated his hysterical stories while beautifully incorporating more critical ideas.

Much of Tobowlosky’s talk dealt with inspiration and creativity. He recalled the time when his son asked him the difference between man and other animals, a question that Tobowlosky initially struggled to answer. After many jokes and silly responses to his son, Tobowlosky figured it out over a year later: “Man is the only animal that is inspired.”

In an interview after his lecture, Tobowlosky revealed that his two sons are his inspiration for writing. While claiming he always “wrote little things here and there,” the actor, who is most prominently known for his roles in over 100 movies and 200 television shows, experienced a major life change when he broke his neck four years ago.

Tobowlosky recalled, “I couldn’t do anything. I was just stuck…and I realized I wasn’t dead. And in that one moment where I was injured, I could never see my boys again. So I thought, I will write stories to let them know who their dad was.”

And Tobowlosky did exactly this, retelling the true stories from both his professional and personal life to comprise The Dangerous Animals Club, which he called a “literary photo album” for his children.

The “most creative moment” of Tobowlosky’s life was inspired from a near-death experience. Years ago, the actor was in a Safeway grocery store in Snider Plaza when he placed some mangos in his cart, a fruit that was new to Texas at the time. An older man then approached Tobolowlsky and started crying over these mangos, which he described as “the most exotic of fruits,” and then explained that he had contracted a cattle disease from South America that lead to suicide or homicide.

The mangos man then pointed his 45 caliber at Tobowlosky’s head when Tobowlosky had “the most remarkable thought” in his brain. He remembered Chad Everett from the show Medical Center and his advice for what do to when being held hostage: 

“Keep the gunman talking.” After 45 minutes of chatting his way out of a hostage situation by ultimately inviting the killer over for dinner, he tried to walk away, which he claimed was “the scariest moment” of his life.

Tobowlosky recalled a voice in the back of his head that said, “just keep walking, don’t look back, whatever you do, don’t look back. Just. Keep. Walking.”

This notion of “just keep going” and “never looking back” is one that Tobolowlsky has grown more accustomed to over the years as he has progressed professionally. After all, USA Today recently named Tobowolosky the ninth most frequently seen actor in film today. Still, he believes that one of the main issues in the arts is keeping one’s spirit alive while constantly being rejected, because “the rejection process never ends,” Tobowolosky concluded.

In an interview after the lecture, Tobowlosky elaborated on how he has found success in keeping his spirit alive over the span of his career. Attributing a friend’s advice as inspiration, Tobowlosky explained:

“When things get really, really, bad, always put yourself in the place of something elemental-either the trees, the mountains, the rivers, or the stars, something a lot bigger than yourself…when you feel down, you have to find a way to turn your life into addition.”

Tobowlosky gave examples of what he personally adds to his life to make himself feel better, which included listening to a new type of music, reading a new book, or seeing a new painting.

“Whatever it may be, you just have to find a way to add something to your life.”