When Matt Long was in high school, he considered becoming a park ranger. Instead, a lifelong interest led him to a world of hard work, nerve and a little luck.

“You don’t want to be 60-years-old and think, ‘What if I had tried?’” he said.

Long, a 2002 Western graduate, stars as Dylan Hewitt in ABC’s new legal drama, “The Deep End.”

The show, centered on five new lawyers at a prominent law firm in Los Angeles, airs Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. on ABC.

“It’s been such a long process with this show, but at the end of the day, the cast and I had so much fun,” he said.

Long said his favorite role to play so far was Jack McCallister on the WB’s “Jack & Bobby,” which aired in 2004.

“I felt so good and confident and proud of what I was doing on that show,” he said. “It was just so real for me because I was so close to Jack.”

Long, a Winchester native, lives in Los Angeles. He said each time he visits Kentucky, he appreciates it more. He especially misses his family and Ale-8-One, the soft drink that shares his hometown.

“I was bottle-fed on it practically,” he said. “A buddy of mine from college sent me a six-pack of Ale 8 when the show premiered, and I couldn’t believe it. I was so excited.”

Some of Long’s favorite memories from his time on the Hill come from performing on stage.

“I had a blast at Western,” he said. “I had a lot of opportunities to be involved in plays and explore other jobs within the theatre.”

Long also met his wife, Lora Chaffins, at Western. A mutual friend brought her by his suite in Zacharias Hall one night as Long was getting ready for a party.

“I decided to stay and hang out because I thought she was so interesting,” he said.

Long said his parents and teachers were very encouraging of his desire to be an actor.

David Young, head of the department of theatre and dance, taught Long for four years.

“He developed a really strong honesty and naturalness, and that’s what you can see when you watch the TV show,” Young said.

After graduating, Long spent a summer working at a theatre in Williamstown, Mass., then moved to New York.

In New York, Long did several commercial auditions, but the “most humiliating” was one for Old Navy. He was in a room with three other shirtless guys, dancing to music in jeans.

“After I left, I was like, ‘Oh my God, what in the world have I gotten myself into?’” he said.

Tennille Komulainen, a friend of Long’s and fellow alum, said Long is a driven person.

“His success doesn’t surprise me,” she said. “He had his goal, and he made it his priority to support it.”

Long said he doesn’t know what will happen with “The Deep End,” but whenever it comes to an end, he wants to continue acting.

“I just want to be involved in telling great stories,” he said. “So whether that is TV or film or theatre, it doesn’t matter… I just want to be able to do that again.”