WALTER SCOTT ASKS... SCOOT McNAIRY

Q

I just discovered

Being Mary Jane and have become a fan of Gabrielle

Union. What else has she done?

—Janice L., Omaha, Neb.

A: Union, 42, plays the title role of TV journalist Mary Jane Paul in the BET comedy series, which will begin reruns of its recently completed second season in June. She also appeared in the teen movies 10 Things I Hate About You

and Bring It On, and in Think Like a Man,

Bad Boys II and Top Five. “People associated me with being a teenager for so long, it was a tough transition to be taken seriously as an adult actor,” she says. After supporting appearances in two Best Picture Oscar winners in a row— Argo (2012) and

12 Years a Slave (2013)—McNairy, 37, turned to the small screen for a starring role in Halt and

Catch Fire, AMC’s series about the ’80s computer boom, returning for its second season tonight. You play Gordon Clark, a computer engineering

genius, in Halt and Catch Fire. In real life, are you tech-savvy? “I do know electronics, somewhat. I used to rip out and install car stereos, car alarms, anything I could take apart in the garage. I messed with a soldering iron, but if I can’t physically touch it, mechanics are hard for my dyslexic brain to process.”

Do you talk to kids with dyslexia to inspire them? “This summer, I’m going to speak at the Shelton School of Dallas (Texas) that I attended for dyslexia—my nieces go there now and both my brothers went there— and tell them what I went through, all the things that the school taught me and how it helped me later in life.” Because reading was difficult for you, did it make you more appreciative of music? “I love music. Every time I hear the band Florence and the Machine, something about their music gives me chills.” You moved back to Texas from Los Angeles. Why? “I personally feel more creative and a lot more inspired living out in the country, where there’s nothing that can infect my process or get in the way of it.” Q: What’s my favorite Jersey boy, Bobby Cannavale, up to these days?

—Carlos M., Orange, N.J.

A: Cannavale, 45, should be packing people into theaters this summer. He plays De Luca, the villain in the comedy Spy, opposite Melissa McCarthy, opening June 5. Then he’ll co-star with Paul Rudd in Ant-Man, in theaters July 17. “I wake up every morning and go, ‘I can’t believe I’m still getting to do this,’” says Cannavale, who began his acting career 25 years ago. Q: I’ve heard that the star of Mister Rogers’

Neighborhood had a distinguished military career. Is that true? —Charlie Norval,

Dunedin, Fla.

A: The rumors that the late Fred Rogers served as a Navy SEAL or a U.S. Marine sniper are urban legends. It is true that Rogers, who died at age 74 in 2003 of stomach cancer, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. He was honored for his commitment to teaching and nurturing children on his long-running PBS TV series.