Marcia Gay Harden, 58, is an Oscar-winning actress who has appeared in more than 50 films, including “The First Wives Club,” “Pollock,” “Mystic River” and “Fifty Shades of Grey.” She is the author of “The Seasons of My Mother” (Atria). She spoke with Marc Myers.
My mother wasn’t a stage mom but she was convinced I had talent. In the early 1980s, fresh out of college with a major in theater, my plan was to work odd jobs and audition in Washington. But I was stubbornly insecure.
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