lights on about the biggest stage there is, at the 75th anniversary, he was along burt lancaster, charlton hestone havilland, and -- >> jimmy stewart. and there is andy in the corner. >> reporter: and not thinking for a split second that he belonged. >> the publicist came up, would you like to meet someone? i would like to meet jimmy stewart. so they brought me over to jimmy stewart, and i was like, it is a pleasure -- and he was ba, ba, ba -- and i thought he was looking at me with shame, and that's what i thought about myself. and there is tom cruise, in a bright red sweater, standing like this in the photo, and i go, wow, i just never was that guy. i could never, in a million years, have been in that red sweater, standing in that row. i was never that person and i don't want to be that person. >> reporter: in the years since, andrew mccarthy has learned what kind of person he is: one happier behind the camera, directing tv shows like "orange is the new black." >> i always say directing causing stress, but acting causes anxiety. i are there be under stress. >> reporter: which has led him to exp