You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams: My Life in Stories and Pictures

A beloved actor and famous man-on-the-scene, Alan Cumming takes the reader on a wild journey of pithy and cheeky fun, presenting his real-life stories of debauchery during late night Hollywood parties, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and hilarious yet poignant memories of his life, family, and friends. If you were to put David Sedaris and Glenn O’Brien in a blender and add a dash of New York and Hollywood gossip, you would wind up with Alan Cumming. Described by Time magazine as “one of the most fun people in show business,” Cumming is a genuine triple-threat as a successful stage, television, and film star whose real-life vivacity, sophisticated wit, and charm tend to match that of his onstage personalities.

In his third book, You Gotta Get Bigger Dreams, he has composed a collection of true-life adventures—or rather, misadventures—that is sure to make the reader laugh out loud. This volume recounts the hysterical and sometimes embarrassing encounters that only Cumming could experience, from awkwardly entertaining Elizabeth Taylor at Carrie Fisher’s birthday party to being on a movie set with Helen Mirren and being mocked for wearing Croc sandals to making a friend’s day by chasing down Oprah at a glitzy gala for a prized photograph with her. These forty-five stories are humorous novellas, each featuring memorable photographs—many simply snapshots taken by Cumming—that document or illustrate the tale told.

Alan Cumming is an award-winning actor, artist, writer, activist, and man-on-the-scene. He’s appeared on the London stage, and on Broadway, hosted his own cable talk show, and is the author of the New York Times best seller Not My Father’s Son: A Memoirand the novel Tommy’s Tale.