"If you love acting, then act, no matter what. Even if it means you have to do something else to support yourself," Bening said. "Maybe you won't get rich or famous, but you'll be happy. Stick by your guns and do what your heart tells you to do. Don't always be practical. Hear your own voice."

At the Dec. 11 event, Bening admitted to her audience that she is nervous every time she steps onstage or in front of a camera.

"There's a misconception that fear and insecurity will go away with experience," Bening said. "It never goes away. The best anyone can do is learn to manage it. Know you are competent, trust in that and meet the moment."

Though her leature centered on acting, her insights and advice transcended the craft itself.

"She talked about life lessons and living well," said Presentation High School Principal Mary Miller. "The idea that everyone must follow their passion and not allow others to dictate who they become is invaluable, as is making students aware that fear is natural and the only way to overcome it is to push through it."

Bening's appearance at the school was spearheaded by Kathy Russell, chairwoman of the second annual Christmas Show, a fundraiser benefiting Presentation's jazz choir. Russell is friends with Bening's brother and sister-in-law, who live in the San Jose area.

"I sent Annette a letter asking her if she would be willing to talk with a group of our students," Russell said. "She graciously agreed. She's extremely generous with her time."

In order to attend the lecture, students filled out a questionnaire relaying why they wanted to attend the class and what they hoped to learn from the experience. In addition, they were required to attend a two-hour prep session with Annalora Calin, performing arts extracurricular chairwoman.

"We watched clips from Annette's movie The American President and talked about her acting style," Calin said.

Calin, who was responsible for coordinating the event, was nervous before Bening came. "I wanted everything to run smoothly, but when I met Annette, I was immediately at ease," Calin said. "She drove herself, showed up in jeans and was very relaxed. She sat in the theater until it was time for her to go onstage and really put the students first; she spent more time with them than originally planned and was late for her lunch date."

Miller agreed. "The crowd loved her. She was warm and approachable. The students felt she really cared about their futures."

"A lot of what she said hit close to home," said Presentation senior Katie Brennan.

Fellow student Quinn McClure concurred. "It was good timing for me to hear this. I liked what she said about turning nervousness and fear into energy and not being overwhelmed by it."

For Krista Polin, who already knows she wants to become an actress, hearing about the path Bening took to get to where she is was invaluable.

"It was a great presentation, very inspirational, and gave me some good direction," Polin said.

The performing arts program at Presentation High School has grown in the two-plus years since the new theater was completed.

"More often than not, young people are bombarded with images of stars who do not demonstrate good values about education, social justice, family and a health body image," Calin said. "Annette is a positive role model for our students, and I really appreciate her time."