Charles Korsmo recently moved to Cleveland with his wife and one-year-old daughter Lilah to work as a law professor.

Q: First off, I have to ask this question, based on your background. You’ve had a very interesting childhood: can we talk about some of the movies you acted in? How did you get those positions? What was the experience like?

A: You know, it was more or less a "snowball effect." It was never something I thought would be a long-term commitment. It happened while my family and I were on vacation in Los Angeles. I was about eight or nine, and at the time I really hated school. I was looking for any excuse to get out of school. They were filming a TV show, and I decided to try out. I figured that “any idiot could do it,” so that’s why I did it. I ended up doing the TV show, and it was a fun experience.

From there, I felt that this something I wanted to do for a little while, so I decided to do it.

When we returned home to Minneapolis, I got an agent and did some commercials. Now and then a movie would come down and ask for stage kids.

I remember one movie I did called “Men Don’t Leave.” I lucked out in getting the part of being Chris O’Donnell’s brother in the movie. It wasn’t a very popular movie, but it did get very good reviews.

Throughout this time, I was working nonstop until I finally quit when I was about 13 years old.

Q: Why did you quit? I know you said that you didn’t want to do it forever, but what was the reason?

A: Well, my family never left Minneapolis. In order to act in the commercials, TV shows and movies, I had to travel to Los Angeles. For about 3 years, I hadn’t been in school regularly. About the time I was to enter high school, I had to make a decision. Either I’m going to have a normal high school experience or not. I couldn’t do both – it was too much. I would be out of school too long.

There was also no guarantee that there would be work. It was a long shot. On top of that, I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it. By that point, I was ready to have a normal teenage life.

In hindsight, though, I wish I had made one more movie so I could save some money. Overall, though, I think I made the right decision.

Q: How did you cope with traveling so much at a young age?

A: It’s weird. You’re away from home a lot; you’re on the road often, constantly staying in hotels. It was also weird because we weren’t a Hollywood family by any means. They did provide me with a tutor (via Union rules) and for about 3 hours a day we would work on schoolwork. I think I learned more in those tutoring sessions than I would have had I been in school at the time, and in some instances, I thought I was ahead. I think I got much more done in those 3 hours than I would have in school.

Also, another thing that I noticed was that when you become famous, people keep bothering you. An example happened when I was on the set filming for "Hook." On my way out, Robin Williams asked where I was going. I told him that I was just going to Taco Bell. He responded, "wish I could go there," and he meant it. And it occurred to me that he couldn’t go to a fast food restaurant. It’s an experience that he can’t ever have because of his life style. He could never have a normal everyday life.

It was starting to get to the point where I would go to restaurants and airports, and people would bother me. I didn’t like it, but most people who go into show business don’t really like it either.

Q: Could you tell me a little bit more about the movie experience? Things you did, people you met, what it felt like?

A: I met the most amazing people. They are some of the smartest, funniest, best people I’ve ever met. I think the one amazing experience about working as a child actor is that you’re not always starstruck. You can relate to people such as Steven Spielberg, Robin Williams, etc. because you’re not always overawed by people’s personalities.

Q: When did the fame stop?

A: The fame trickled off over the years, although people will still come up to me and recognize me from things I did in the past.

Q: Let’s backtrack a bit and talk a little about your school experience. You said you hated school, but you went to very prestigious schools. How did that happen?

A: By high school I enjoyed school a lot more. I wasn’t a fan of actually “being in school,” but I really liked doing the schoolwork. The same goes for Massachusetts Institute of Technology – I didn’t really enjoy MIT all that much, but I definitely enjoyed its academic pursuits.

Q: What did you do after you finished up at MIT?

A: After I got my degree in physics from MIT, I had a choice to make. I was either going to get a PhD or I was going to do something else. I didn’t want to get a PhD in physics, so I decided to go to Washington, D.C. and worked for three years. I started off with science-related jobs, such as working for the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and working for the health science committee.

After working these jobs, I slowly transitioned into policy decision work, such as working with the House of Representatives, House Policy. An interesting job I held for a bit was working in a Homeland Security Committee post-9/11. It was a newly created, and not yet established area. I was one of the first four staffers on the project. Because it was so new, and so few people were involved in it, I got to do things that most people couldn’t do.

I was the lead staffer on bills, served as committee parliamentarian, drafted rules, etc. In essence, I was really serving as a lawyer. I couldn’t believe that they allowed someone like me to work in that very intense position without actually being a lawyer. It hit me then that, if I’m going to be involved in this stuff, I ought to get a law degree.

Q: So moving into policy-work sort of made you move away from using your degree?

A: Yeah, at that time, I drifted away from using my degree. Working as a one of the four staffers, I served as sort of the “go-between” for scientists and policy folks. It was too frustrating of a place to use my degree, for a number of reasons. It was too bureaucratic. Regulations set for what you had to do while you worked there, so the environment was too constrained to do the types of experiments that you wanted to do. It’s not like undergrad where you could pretty much do what you wanted to do. I started moving toward more legal and policy-based work, mainly because I saw that legal stuff actually moved things in D.C. Unless you were an academic scientist (and I didn’t want to get my PhD), there was no sense in using my degree anymore. Instead, I wanted to be more involved in making rules rather than carrying them out.

Q: How did it feel to be in that kind of intense atmosphere?

A: It was really scary and daunting, I was 25 or 26 years old at the time. I can remember one bill in particular. It was for Bioshield. It was a $6.5 billion dollar program for a vaccine protection against biochemical warfare. I was the lead staffer on that bill. It was quite intimidating going up against people in Congress who had question about the bill, and all that jazz. But, once you’re trusted with that, transitioning to a big law firm where you start with almost no responsibility is nothing.

Q: So you got your law degree at Yale and then what did you do after that?

A: I clerked for a year in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit with Judge Winter. It was a great job. It was really interesting getting to work with the judge so closely. I was one of three or four clerks working individually with him. The Judge comes from great academics – he was a professor at Yale for about 40 years, so it’s really great getting that kind of experience.

After that I worked for Sullivan & Cromwell as a litigation associate and taught at Brooklyn Law School.

Q: That’s quite a trajectory. But, one thing I am curious about is this: has acting influenced your career?

A: I’m sure it has. It is really helpful to have a bit of a performance background as a lawyer, at least in theory. It helps because you don’t get stage fright, and it’s much easier to be persuasive in a real manner. And, as a professor, it’s kind of like giving a live theatrical performance four times a week. I get to write my own script, but you never know what people are going to ask. So really, it’s more like improv theatre.

Q: What areas of law are you interested in?

A: I’m teaching corporate law in the spring. Corporate law is where my research interests lie. I’ve never taught it before, but it will be interesting. Teaching informs your writing, and I want to become more informed about it.

Q: Why corporate law?

A: Well, that’s where my practice experience is – corporate and banking law. It’s always something I’ve been interested in. What I’m particularly interested in is the real life impact of legal rules and legal structures. I think that the fundamental legal structures that shape our society come from corporate and financial law.

Q: To most people, it would seem that entertainment law should’ve been the logical step stemming from your career. Why didn’t you pursue that instead?

A: I’ve never been interested in it; it’s never something I wanted to do.

Q: So after all your travels, how have you found it here in Cleveland?

A: I was a visiting assistant professor at Brooklyn Law for two years. I decided to go to D.C. and interview with everyone for a tenure track position. I got a few callbacks and went for visits around the United States to the places that asked me back.

One thing (and the most important thing) that I really liked about being here was the people. I really liked everyone I met – the professors, the students. It feels like a great place to work and live. Another reason why it was nice to come to Cleveland was because my mother’s side of the family is originally from Cleveland. Actually, we found out that my grandfather’s house is two blocks from where we bought our current house.

WRITTEN BY: KYLE ANTHONY, 2L, STAFF WRITER, THE DOCKET
THIS ARTICLE PREVIOUSLY APPEARED IN THE DOCKET, OUR LAW STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Charles Korsmo recently moved to Cleveland with his wife and one-year-old daughter Lilah to work as a law professor.

Q: First off, I have to ask this question, based on your background. You’ve had a very interesting childhood: can we talk about some of the movies you acted in? How did you get those positions? What was the experience like?

A: You know, it was more or less a "snowball effect." It was never something I thought would be a long-term commitment. It happened while my family and I were on vacation in Los Angeles. I was about eight or nine, and at the time I really hated school. I was looking for any excuse to get out of school. They were filming a TV show, and I decided to try out. I figured that “any idiot could do it,” so that’s why I did it. I ended up doing the TV show, and it was a fun experience.

From there, I felt that this something I wanted to do for a little while, so I decided to do it.

When we returned home to Minneapolis, I got an agent and did some commercials. Now and then a movie would come down and ask for stage kids.

I remember one movie I did called “Men Don’t Leave.” I lucked out in getting the part of being Chris O’Donnell’s brother in the movie. It wasn’t a very popular movie, but it did get very good reviews.

Throughout this time, I was working nonstop until I finally quit when I was about 13 years old.

Q: Why did you quit? I know you said that you didn’t want to do it forever, but what was the reason?

A: Well, my family never left Minneapolis. In order to act in the commercials, TV shows and movies, I had to travel to Los Angeles. For about 3 years, I hadn’t been in school regularly. About the time I was to enter high school, I had to make a decision. Either I’m going to have a normal high school experience or not. I couldn’t do both – it was too much. I would be out of school too long.

There was also no guarantee that there would be work. It was a long shot. On top of that, I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it. By that point, I was ready to have a normal teenage life.

In hindsight, though, I wish I had made one more movie so I could save some money. Overall, though, I think I made the right decision.

Q: How did you cope with traveling so much at a young age?

A: It’s weird. You’re away from home a lot; you’re on the road often, constantly staying in hotels. It was also weird because we weren’t a Hollywood family by any means. They did provide me with a tutor (via Union rules) and for about 3 hours a day we would work on schoolwork. I think I learned more in those tutoring sessions than I would have had I been in school at the time, and in some instances, I thought I was ahead. I think I got much more done in those 3 hours than I would have in school.

Also, another thing that I noticed was that when you become famous, people keep bothering you. An example happened when I was on the set filming for "Hook." On my way out, Robin Williams asked where I was going. I told him that I was just going to Taco Bell. He responded, "wish I could go there," and he meant it. And it occurred to me that he couldn’t go to a fast food restaurant. It’s an experience that he can’t ever have because of his life style. He could never have a normal everyday life.

It was starting to get to the point where I would go to restaurants and airports, and people would bother me. I didn’t like it, but most people who go into show business don’t really like it either.

Q: Could you tell me a little bit more about the movie experience? Things you did, people you met, what it felt like?

A: I met the most amazing people. They are some of the smartest, funniest, best people I’ve ever met. I think the one amazing experience about working as a child actor is that you’re not always starstruck. You can relate to people such as Steven Spielberg, Robin Williams, etc. because you’re not always overawed by people’s personalities.

Q: When did the fame stop?

A: The fame trickled off over the years, although people will still come up to me and recognize me from things I did in the past.

Q: Let’s backtrack a bit and talk a little about your school experience. You said you hated school, but you went to very prestigious schools. How did that happen?

A: By high school I enjoyed school a lot more. I wasn’t a fan of actually “being in school,” but I really liked doing the schoolwork. The same goes for Massachusetts Institute of Technology – I didn’t really enjoy MIT all that much, but I definitely enjoyed its academic pursuits.

Q: What did you do after you finished up at MIT?

A: After I got my degree in physics from MIT, I had a choice to make. I was either going to get a PhD or I was going to do something else. I didn’t want to get a PhD in physics, so I decided to go to Washington, D.C. and worked for three years. I started off with science-related jobs, such as working for the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and working for the health science committee.

After working these jobs, I slowly transitioned into policy decision work, such as working with the House of Representatives, House Policy. An interesting job I held for a bit was working in a Homeland Security Committee post-9/11. It was a newly created, and not yet established area. I was one of the first four staffers on the project. Because it was so new, and so few people were involved in it, I got to do things that most people couldn’t do.

I was the lead staffer on bills, served as committee parliamentarian, drafted rules, etc. In essence, I was really serving as a lawyer. I couldn’t believe that they allowed someone like me to work in that very intense position without actually being a lawyer. It hit me then that, if I’m going to be involved in this stuff, I ought to get a law degree.

Q: So moving into policy-work sort of made you move away from using your degree?

A: Yeah, at that time, I drifted away from using my degree. Working as a one of the four staffers, I served as sort of the “go-between” for scientists and policy folks. It was too frustrating of a place to use my degree, for a number of reasons. It was too bureaucratic. Regulations set for what you had to do while you worked there, so the environment was too constrained to do the types of experiments that you wanted to do. It’s not like undergrad where you could pretty much do what you wanted to do. I started moving toward more legal and policy-based work, mainly because I saw that legal stuff actually moved things in D.C. Unless you were an academic scientist (and I didn’t want to get my PhD), there was no sense in using my degree anymore. Instead, I wanted to be more involved in making rules rather than carrying them out.

Q: How did it feel to be in that kind of intense atmosphere?

A: It was really scary and daunting, I was 25 or 26 years old at the time. I can remember one bill in particular. It was for Bioshield. It was a $6.5 billion dollar program for a vaccine protection against biochemical warfare. I was the lead staffer on that bill. It was quite intimidating going up against people in Congress who had question about the bill, and all that jazz. But, once you’re trusted with that, transitioning to a big law firm where you start with almost no responsibility is nothing.

Q: So you got your law degree at Yale and then what did you do after that?

A: I clerked for a year in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit with Judge Winter. It was a great job. It was really interesting getting to work with the judge so closely. I was one of three or four clerks working individually with him. The Judge comes from great academics – he was a professor at Yale for about 40 years, so it’s really great getting that kind of experience.

After that I worked for Sullivan & Cromwell as a litigation associate and taught at Brooklyn Law School.

Q: That’s quite a trajectory. But, one thing I am curious about is this: has acting influenced your career?

A: I’m sure it has. It is really helpful to have a bit of a performance background as a lawyer, at least in theory. It helps because you don’t get stage fright, and it’s much easier to be persuasive in a real manner. And, as a professor, it’s kind of like giving a live theatrical performance four times a week. I get to write my own script, but you never know what people are going to ask. So really, it’s more like improv theatre.

Q: What areas of law are you interested in?

A: I’m teaching corporate law in the spring. Corporate law is where my research interests lie. I’ve never taught it before, but it will be interesting. Teaching informs your writing, and I want to become more informed about it.

Q: Why corporate law?

A: Well, that’s where my practice experience is – corporate and banking law. It’s always something I’ve been interested in. What I’m particularly interested in is the real life impact of legal rules and legal structures. I think that the fundamental legal structures that shape our society come from corporate and financial law.

Q: To most people, it would seem that entertainment law should’ve been the logical step stemming from your career. Why didn’t you pursue that instead?

A: I’ve never been interested in it; it’s never something I wanted to do.

Q: So after all your travels, how have you found it here in Cleveland?

A: I was a visiting assistant professor at Brooklyn Law for two years. I decided to go to D.C. and interview with everyone for a tenure track position. I got a few callbacks and went for visits around the United States to the places that asked me back.

One thing (and the most important thing) that I really liked about being here was the people. I really liked everyone I met – the professors, the students. It feels like a great place to work and live. Another reason why it was nice to come to Cleveland was because my mother’s side of the family is originally from Cleveland. Actually, we found out that my grandfather’s house is two blocks from where we bought our current house.

WRITTEN BY: KYLE ANTHONY, 2L, STAFF WRITER, THE DOCKET
THIS ARTICLE PREVIOUSLY APPEARED IN THE DOCKET, OUR LAW STUDENT NEWSPAPER