The Robinson Community Learning Center (RCLC) welcomed a special visitor Wednesday (March 5): award-winning actor Adam Driver. Driver’s many film credits include Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story,” Spike Lee’s “BlacKKKlansman,” Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel,” Michael Mann’s “Ferrari,” Martin Scorsese’s “Silence” and Francis Ford Coppola’s recent “Megalopolis,” to name a few. He is widely known for his role as Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.

Driver, who grew up in nearby Mishawaka, participated in a discussion about acting with members of the RCLC’s youth theater program, which offers lessons to area students in grades three through 12.

Held in the RCLC’s black box theater, the informal discussion was part of a daylong visit to the area for the Marine Corps veteran, who as a screen and stage actor is known for his versatility, physicality and emotional depth.

In addition to visiting the RCLC, Driver also visited with Notre Dame Film, Television and Theater students, met with military veteran students on campus and visited with drama students at his alma mater, Mishawaka High School.

During his visit to the RCLC, Driver, who has garnered award nominations for his on- and off-Broadway roles, watched as students took turns reading from the Hamlet soliloquy “To be, or not to be,” nodding and grinning throughout and clapping with appreciation afterward.

“Do you guys like it, does it make sense to you?” he asked of the famous Shakespearean monologue, in which the eponymous prince contemplates death and suicide.

“I’m pretty sure it’s about — he’s debating what the point of living is and — and if sleeping and death would be the same,” one of the students said.

“And the only reason we don’t embrace death is because we don’t know what happens after death,” said another.

“Exactly right,” Driver said. “You guys totally understand.”

He also talked about his formative years as a drama student at Mishawaka High School, where he first fell in love with the stage.

“High school was when I got excited about acting. … It felt like we could do whatever we wanted,” he said. “I liked misbehaving on stage, and I liked doing plays with my friends.”

At the same time, the Juilliard-trained actor underscored the importance of a formal education.

“Going to school was a big thing, because I didn’t know anything about acting,” he said. “I didn’t know a lot of plays, I didn’t have a way of working, I didn’t have a process. So going to school for four years to kind of develop a way to work was really helpful.”

In fact, he said, it was at Juilliard that he first studied Shakespeare.

“You guys know more Shakespeare than I did at your age,” he said.

Jennifer Jermano Miller is the theater and fine arts program director at the RCLC.

“I’m glad he spoke a little bit about his journey, because I think that’s really important for students to hear,” Jermano Miller said. “And I really love that he told the students that school is so important.”

Pointing to his modest upbringing far from the hustle and bustle of Hollywood, Driver, for his part, talked about feeling responsible — especially as he ages and grows professionally — for uplifting young and aspiring actors from similar backgrounds.

“I didn’t have anyone in the business. No one in my family was in the business; we didn’t have any access,” he said. “So especially in smaller towns, where it doesn’t feel like being an actor is a real possibility, if you can give someone a small push to pursue the arts, I think that’s important.”

Driver’s visit lasted about 45 minutes and included photos and autographs.

Earlier in the day, he discussed the art and business of acting as part of a panel discussion and Q&A with a group of about 40 students and faculty at the Philbin Studio Theatre in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center on campus.

Seated between Chris Becker, associate professor of television, and Siiri Scott, head of acting and directing, he talked about choosing roles; the auditioning process; working with agents, lawyers and casting directors; the impact of streaming on the film industry; and navigating success.

About the modern motion picture viewing experience, he acknowledged the convenience of streaming but expressed a personal preference for the familiar comfort of a crowded theater.

“I still have faith in theater. That’s how I love to see films,” he said. “There’s nothing better than being in a room with a group of people watching a film.”

Driver’s visit was particularly special for Mason Kacmar, an FTT major from Cleveland.

The junior transfer student from the University of Southern California was an extra in “White Noise,” director Noah Baumbach’s absurdist drama starring Driver as a middling liberal arts professor with an irrational fear of death, alongside Greta Gerwig and Don Cheadle.

The movie, an adaptation of a Don DeLillo novel, filmed in Cleveland in 2021. Kacmar was in two scenes with Driver — one in a grocery store and one on the campus of the fictional College-on-the-Hill.

During the Q&A, Kacmar asked Driver what it was like to film so close to home.

“I definitely like shooting closer to home because of my family,” he said, noting that the crews are different in the Midwest compared with the coasts and especially Europe just “based on the culture.”

“Thank you,” Kacmar said.

“Yeah, well, good to see you,” Driver quipped, eliciting laughter from the students.

Driver’s visit was a complete surprise for the students, and when he entered the group broke into stunned applause. Kacmar, for his part, exclaimed loudly, “Oh, my God! Oh, my God!”

“It was really surreal seeing that it was him,” he said afterward. “I had no idea coming into this experience that it was going to be Adam Driver. And the fact that I actually got to be an extra in a film that he has done in my hometown of Cleveland was super special.”

Kacmar described Driver, who sat casually, legs crossed, nodding, gesturing and laughing throughout the discussion, as “really grounded.”

“We all have our idea of what famous celebrities or actors are going to be like, but he just seemed like a chill guy that just wanted to talk with us. So I was just super grateful to have the experience,” he said.

He said the opportunity to learn from someone as accomplished as Driver underscored the quality of the FTT program, which offers a unique mix of design and production, writing and performance, and history and theory.

“It continues to showcase Notre Dame’s alumni connections and just the way that their ability to network is top-notch, and that’s one of the reasons why I came here,” he said.

Driver took questions from about a dozen students during the 90-minute discussion, responding to each query with warmth and candor.

“The session felt like hanging out in an intimate masterclass,” Becker said. “The way he listened intently and responded to each student’s question showed just how genuine and down-to-earth he is.”

"Adam was incredibly generous and open with our students, offering insights that not only inspired them but also reinforced the very practices we teach," said Scott. "It was a great reminder that the work we do in the classroom will help prepare them for the profession."

Driver met privately with veteran students later in the day, following his RCLC visit.

He and his wife, Joanne Tucker, formed Arts in the Armed Forces in 2006. Although the organization is no longer active, he still believes in honoring and enriching the lives of military members through strategic outreach and shared experiences in film and theater.

“There’s not a lot of systems in place where people can process their time being in the military,” he said. “So, for me, the arts was a massive way of kind of transitioning back into civilian life, because even though it seems polar opposite from the military, the process is very similar. It’s all about responding without thinking and working within a small group of people to accomplish something bigger than anyone’s particular role.”

Driver’s visit was organized by Notre Dame’s Office of Public Affairs, Department of Film, Television and Theater, Office of Military and Veterans Affairs and DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.