Andrew Rannellswas 19 years old when he left his hometown of Omaha behind for New York City.
People are literally sitting on my face, he says.
Things dont get quite so surreal in Rannells witty and candid new memoir,Too Much Is Not Enough.
Credit: Luke Fontana
Indeed, you dont readToo Muchfor dirt onLena Dunhamor meditations on the trappings of fame.
You read it for an honest, detailed account of one man pursuing his dreams.
Yes, I was poor.
Penguin Random House
Yes, I was jobless, Rannells, 40, writes.
But I had everything to look forward to.
A series of essays,Too Muchtells a showbiz success story unlike those that typically score splashy book deals.
Mark Schafer/HBO
For Rannells, this was very much the point.
All these years later looking back, those little wins that I got were what kept me going.
But its always the stuff that gets skipped over.
(He provides an example: I got my Equity card doingGreaseat the Westchester Broadway dinner theater.
Thats never included in my bio!)
The two-time Tony nominee examines his coming up as a gay actor, too.
But, as co-showrunner Jenni Konner recalls, they couldnt let him go after watching him on set.
Rannells caught Hollywoods eye to a point after first appearing onGirlsand Ryan Murphys short-lived sitcomThe New Normal.
He really informed the way we changed, wrote, and even approached it, says Caspe.
This fits with the story of ambition, patience, and dedication that Rannells tells inToo Much.
