#42 – Eric Durant, actor, Berkshire County Sheriff’s Depart. (ret.), magician “Eric Thee Illusionist”
Eric Durant is not going to let his golden opportunity slip away. Not a chance. Now retired after 25 years full-time at the Berkshire County Sheriff’s Department (he still works traffic details from time to time), he’s all-in on his acting career. It is a dream he’s had since his Mother utilized Shakespeare to help young Eric master his speech through a childhood stutter. His love of acting and performing took him to Los Angeles in the 1980s before coming back to settle down in the Berkshires to raise his family. Recently, Eric has been acting in productions throughout the Northeast. He even landed a role during a traffic detail and a serendipitous meeting with a director in the middle of the road. Now a grandfather, we cover a lot of ground, including growing up as the son of community legends Rev. Willard and Rosemary Durant, his own spiritual journey, some politics, and a life-changing health scare that told him it was now or never to follow his dream. We also talk about his days at the Berkshire County House of Correction and the ongoing challenges of providing the kind of services and treatment that will support inmates to succeed once they are free and back in the community. **Spoiler alert: We also talk about the season finale of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Eric is a big Star Wars fan), the effort to honor his parents by the renovation and renaming of Durant Park (with props to Eddie Taylor), and much more.
I hope you’ll enjoy my conversation with Eric Durant on The John Krol Podcast.
