Adam Driver: A name and Hoosier background tailor-made to wave the Indy 500 green flag

Adam Driver has a name tailor-made for the Indy 500, and that alone makes the actor an obvious choice to wave the green flag. But add in his Hoosier roots and military service for the Memorial Day weekend race, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway has found an honorary starter who's pitch-perfect for the role.

The star has been a constant on screens large and small for more than a decade, building his reputation on playing a wide range of characters. But before Driver's household name status, he was a talented student performing in his northern Indiana high school plays and then a member of the Marines.

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Here are five things to know about the actor:

The Adam Driver movies that have made a big splash

Driver's famous turn as Kylo Ren in "Star Wars" has fans questioning whether he'll wave a green lightsaber instead of a green flag Sunday, though his dark-side character would not approve.

Other major film credits include "Marriage Story" and "BlacKkKlansman" — for which he received Oscar nominations — as well as "House of Gucci" and "White Noise."

Most importantly for the 500, Driver has delved into the motorsports world. In 2017's "Logan Lucky," he played one of the brothers planning a heist at a North Carolina NASCAR race. And he plays Enzo Ferrari in the upcoming film about the Italian entrepreneur.

His Indiana — and Indianapolis — ties

Driver was born in San Diego and moved to Mishawaka with his mother. At Mishawaka High School, he joined thespian and drama groups, acting in productions that included "Into The Woods" and "Guys and Dolls."

"He was just one of those kids," retired Mishawaka biology teacher John L. Manuszak told the South Bend Tribune in 2014. "It's amazing that now he's into all the Hollywood stuff. You would never have thought he would be into something like that, because he was a kid who would fall behind the cracks. He was not really showy."

Driver graduated in 2001 and, after his first audition to the Juilliard School didn't pan out, he set out for California to pursue acting. But car repairs claimed his funds, sending him back to the Hoosier state.

"I'd made a big production about saying goodbye to everybody in Indiana," he said in a video for Rolling Stone in 2019. "I'm like, 'Goodbye, girlfriend. Who knows when we'll see each other again,' and then I was back like a week later."

He attended the University of Indianapolis during the 2004-2005 academic year, taking roles in "Pippin" and "Endgame," the school's news service reported in 2015.

"He had a real desire, a real passion for acting," UIndy alum Jeffrey Barnes, who served as a technical director, said in an interview with the school. "Immediately, we realized he was incredibly talented, and if he made up his mind to, he would no doubt be successful."

Driver was later accepted into Juilliard and graduated in 2009.

Driver served as a U.S. Marine

After his quick California stay, Driver returned to his parents' Mishawaka home, paying rent to live there and making a living by selling vacuums, in telemarking and mowing grass, the actor shared in a 2015 TED talk.

Just a few months after 9/11, he joined the Marine Corps, where he found his place among a diverse set of people from across the country.

“I loved being in the Marines. It’s one of the things I’m most proud of having done in my life,” he said in the 2015 talk. “Firing weapons was cool, driving and detonating expensive things was great, but I found I loved the Marine Corps the most for the thing I was looking for the least when I joined, which was the people.”

Driver served until a sternum injury from an off-hours mountain biking accident forced him to stop shortly before he was to be deployed to the Middle East.

May the Force be with us: Fans wonder if Adam Driver, Indy 500 starter, will wave a green lightsaber instead of flag

How Driver's military experience influenced his acting

As a new student at Juilliard, Driver found himself making a complex transition from military to civilian life. He found ways to put words to his emotions from the plays and characters he was studying for the first time, he said in his 2015 TED talk.

Then Driver saw the similarities between the the military and theater communities.

“You have a group of people trying to accomplish a mission greater than themselves," he said. "It’s not about you. You have a role. You have to know your role within that team.”

From that realization came Arts in the Armed Forces, a nonprofit that brought trained actors to perform for service members. Over 14 years, the organization served more than 18,000 military members before announcing it would fold, Stars & Stripes reported. The board will look for ways to continue some programs, according to the report.

At the race: Adam Driver named Indy 500 honorary starter, will wave green flag

What Hollywood has said about Driver

The actor earned widespread prominence — and an Emmy nomination — playing the often-shirtless Adam Sackler on the series "Girls." He also garnered the respect of his colleagues.

"I really want to say a special thank you to Adam Driver, who basically made me feel not like a cartoon character but like a person who could express emotions," creator and lead actor Lena Dunham said in a speech accepting her Golden Globe award. "I don't think you know how meaningful it's been to work with you."

The chemistry was mutual, the South Bend Tribune reported.

"For her to mention me in front of a room full of people I grew up watching was the biggest honor," Driver told the newspaper in 2013. "It meant a great deal to me. For her to acknowledge our collaboration in the way she did was pretty special."

From there, Driver has continued to ascend, unlocking a new level of star status in 2019 when famed director and producer Martin Scorsese christened the actor as "one of the finest, if not the finest, of his generation" at the Telluride film festival.

Director and screenwriter Noah Baumbach, who worked with Driver on projects including "Marriage Story," told Rolling Stone he reminded him of character actors-turned-stars in the 1970s like Al Pacino.

"I don't think there's like anyone who freaks me out in the best way ever as much as Adam Driver," said Drew Barrymore on her eponymous show in 2021. "He's just got that charisma. There's like an animalistic, charming, sexy, compelling, cool-looking, tall, amazing."

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Contact IndyStar reporter Domenica Bongiovanni at 317-444-7339 or d.bongiovanni@indystar.com. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter: @domenicareports.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Adam Driver: A name and background made for the Indy 500