From 50 commercials as a kid to nine seasons as one of the most recognizable characters on television, Jaleel White has always performed for an audience. Growing up on set, he learned that giving people what they wanted got you somewhere. So he kept doing it — with fans, with his mother, with anyone who had an expectation of him. After Family Matters ended, the work slowed and the identity he had built around it started to crack. He spent years as a single father taking whatever roles came. Now, looking back, he understands how much of his life he spent performing a version of himself, and what it finally took to feel like the real one. We created this video for The Me I Used to Be, a Big Think interview series created in partnership with Unlikely Collaborators. As a creative non-profit organization, they’re on a mission to help people challenge their perceptions and expand their thinking. Often, that growth can start with just a single unlikely question that makes you rethink your convictions and adjust your vantage point. Visit Perception Box to see more in this series. This video Jaleel White on the greatest perspective shift of his life is featured on Big Think.