She’s killing it on HBO’s “Veep,” but when she’s not starring on the small screen Anna Chlumsky is trying to maneuver a long distance relationship with her boyfriend.
In a new interview with Glamour's November 2014 issue, the “My Girl” actress revealed how she maintains a relationship with a military man and why she decided to head back into the Hollywood world.
Check out highlights of Anna’s interview below and for more, head over to Glamour!
On supporting boyfriend Shaun’s decision to join the army:
“[Shaun] and I had been long distance for three years. We’d met in 2000 at the University of Chicago at a rare dance party on the quad. We fell for each other quickly and knew we’d stay together after I graduated. I moved to New York City for an entry-level fact-checking position at Zagat while he finished up his last year at school. Then he moved to Washington, D.C., to work in the Department of Defense, and I took an editorial assistant gig, still in New York. We grew accustomed to seeing each other every other week, often commuting between New York and D.C. on the $35 Chinatown bus. Then Shaun enlisted in the Army Reserve. He had been frustrated with merely analyzing America’s newly entered wars from a Pentagon desk and decided to gain firsthand experience in the field. Scared as I was, our relationship had been built on support for each other. I would never hold him back from anything he wanted to pursue, and I expected he’d do the same for me.”
On deciding to act again:
“As it turned out, I was having my own epiphany. I had been in show business throughout my childhood, until a burdensome adolescence filled with waning professional success led me to the conclusion that The Biz just wasn’t for me. I left to go on to discover a world of academia and possibilities in college, and to embark on the ‘safer’ pursuit of a 9-to-5 existence. But six years later, after a series of signs from the universe, I finally admitted to myself that I desperately wanted to act again. The very thought of facing auditions and rejection—let alone leaving a salaried job with health insurance—had intimidated me for years. But as an adult, I thought, maybe I could do it right this time. I’d train, I’d have a better outlook on show business, and I’d do it on my own terms. I asked Shaun’s opinion, and he said, ‘I can barely sit here training for the Army and tell you not to take a risk with your life.’ So we both went ahead with our risky ventures.”
On having a boyfriend in the military:
“[The] concept of war was so foreign in our cosmopolitan world. Either people didn’t pay attention at all, or they read too much. I’d meet strangers who, upon discovering my boyfriend was in the Army, would look at me like I was living out some eighties romantic comedy, dating a guy from the wrong side of the tracks. ‘How’d you meet him?’ they’d ask incredulously. ‘College,’ I’d easily reply. This blew people’s minds. There was a wide misconception that joining the military was only an alternative to jail—that anyone who chose to die for his country was strong-armed into it by a tyrannical and manipulative government. I’d explain that no one signs his or her name to something at gunpoint. That the military is a diverse community of individuals from all types of backgrounds. That soldiers have brains.”
On recruiting support from friends after Shaun was deployed:
“When Shaun left for Afghanistan, I emailed my friends en masse, explaining once, and only once, that I was going to need them. I told them I would put a brave face on things and wouldn’t reach out, because I’d be building a fortress around myself in order to stay strong for my soldier. Most young people in a city like New York have no idea what to do with an email like that. My friends helped the best way they knew how: supporting my newly reawakened career as an actress and making sure I socialized with plenty of bar nights, coffees, and dancing.”
On being a girlfriend of a serviceman:
“Being a family member—or, in my case, just a girlfriend—of a serviceman or
-woman is a lonely experience, especially when you’re not living on a base. The military has support groups in place, and I’m sure some are terrific, but I didn’t find a truly helpful one. Every military spouse or loved one has, at one time or another, felt as if no one understands what they’re going through. They all know what it is to be scared sh-tless underneath the brave face.”
On welcoming Shaun home during his leaves:
“It’s been eight months since we last saw each other. During a two-week leave, we’d had many a discussion about the future—his, mine, ours, the Army’s. We’d come to the conclusion that life is only better with each other in it, despite any and all uncertainties, and we’d resolved to rely on our collective stubbornness to make it for the long haul. As I’m standing at the airport, I realize that the guy coming down the escalator may be unfamiliar but that I can’t wait to get to know him all over again.”
On Shaun's experience adjusting to civilian life:
“I feel blessed that Shaun evaded major trauma—both physical and emotional. Other spouses and significant others are not so lucky, and they deserve our utmost recognition. Still, the transition back to civilian life is a tenuous time for all returning vets. Shaun was jumpy. His personal-space bubble was profoundly larger, most noticeably on subway platforms. He would startle himself awake in the middle of the night. Although I couldn’t empathize, I could certainly sympathize. How can anyone expect our soldiers to come back from war the same as when they left? Sure, it would take a few years for him to calm down in crowded places, but Shaun was also more assured; he’d grown in confidence and in perspective.”
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