Zachary Quinto had to "prove" to his mom that he could have a career in showbiz.
The 47-year-old actor is known for his roles in 'Heroes' and 'Star Trek' but recalled that his mother Margo was "very protective" of him and initially had more conservative hopes for him so sought the advice of a professional to see whether it was worth him going into entertainment.
Speaking on 'The Drew Barrymore Show, he said: "She was resistant at first and then she came around. She came around, but she made me prove it. She was a single mom, obviously, she never remarried. She never dated again. For whatever reason that never happened for her.
"So a lot of her energy went into me in particular, I was the youngest. She was very protective of me and she always wanted me to be a lawyer and a politician and I came to her with this desire. She then found this voice teacher in my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA and carted me to his house. She was like 'Sing for the man!' and she asked the man to tell her whether or not he thought I could hack it.
"I guess I should be grateful that he said yes!"
The 'American Horror Story' star noted that Margo - who died in 2021 at the age of 80 - eventually started to come round to the idea of her son being an actor and ended up being "too proud" of him once he had made it.
He added: "So then she started to soften her resistance to it and I told her that I wanted to apply to drama school for university and she eventually said yes. So, she supported me in the end.
"She's gone but she was very proud of me. She was too proud of me in the end! If there was ever an interview or an article that I had in a newspaper or a magazine, she would literally show up with like, 15 copies. A pile this high of the magazines. And I used to get so mad at her and I'd be like 'Why do you have them all?' and she'd be like 'In case anyone wants them!'
"If they wanted them, they'd get them themselves! She became like the arbiter of my success in a way. Look, I've been in therapy for a long time so we can talk all day about how I feel about my mother.
"Ultimately, I've nothing but gratitude, love and forgiveness and compassion for my mother in the end. Being with her in the end was the single most profound honour of my life, holding space for her."
