Michael Vlamis talks the layers of 'Pools,' finding his character, and the freedom of acting in new Yardbarker interview

"I would say up until 27, I lived my life how Kennedy is living her life, you know? Not necessarily allowing my fears to inhibit what I was going for, but I was so focused on where I was headed instead of living in the now, in the present, that I was missing out on a lot of experiences with friends, loved ones. I was always there for my family, but [with] girlfriends in the past, I was just so work-obsessed, so selfish in a way, but it was all rooted in the anxieties of the future," he explained. "Once I started living in the present, reprioritizing what matters to me in my mind, in my life, Roswell, New Mexico came, all these other movies came, commercials came, so many jobs came, and every time I've decided to just face today as today and not about tomorrow, I've been rewarded."

He continued to share, "And so, it was a very organic, kind of seamless transition to get into this character's mindset because I had figured that out a few years prior to shooting this movie, and I've been trying to actively live that every day. Of course, we're always going to get caught up; we always want more. I'm very hard on myself. We're very hard on ourselves, and a lot of the time, artists are like that. If you weren't hard on yourself, maybe we wouldn't be where we are, but it's also about self-love and forgiveness and accepting that today is the day, tomorrow will be a new day, let's focus on today."