Actor Courtney B. Vance talks mental health and his time in Greater Boston

Courtney B. Vance says acting saved his life.

He's described himself as "lost" as an undergrad at Harvard. Then, he found theater. Vance went on to win a Tony award and two Emmys, including for his portrayal of Johnnie Cochran on the show "The People vs. O.J. Simpson."

Now, he’s headed back to Massachusetts, where he’ll deliver the commencement address at William James College in Newton on Sunday.

Vance spoke with WBUR's Morning Edition about how his time in Greater Boston shaped his path.

Below are highlights from the conversation, which have been lightly edited

 On how he felt when he arrived in Cambridge as an 18-year-old:

"I knew my father wasn't doing what he really wanted to do. His generation had children and they took jobs to pay the bills. So I wanted to make sure I found something that would make me happy.

"And I said, I'll start auditioning for shows because with every show, I would meet a new group of people. My aunt Lois, God rest her soul, came to my second show and said, ‘you should do this, Court.’ And that was it."

On whether Boston helped support his early acting career:

"People always ask me, ‘how do you get started?’ And I say, ‘you get started where you are.’

"Just squeeze the face cloth dry in Charlotte, in St. Pete, in Boston. Do everything you can there, because if you can make it in the city where you are at — doing community theater, whatever — you can make it anywhere."

On his mental health advocacy and what he would say to his dad, who died by suicide when Vance was in his thirties:

"Oh, wow. ‘Dad, talk to me. How’s it going?’ I mean, you’ve got to ease into it, you know?

"Back then, I wouldn't have known how to have that conversation because I didn't go through the three years of therapy after he passed. My mother challenged my sister and me. She said, ‘when you go back to your respective cities, find a therapist. This thing stops right now.’

"If my dad had been here and I'd been able to talk to him, he would've been able to tell me all the things that he was feeling. But you can't judge that generation by where we are now."