‘You have to dare yourself to try,’ says ‘Based on a True Story’ star

You know his face. His name? Not so much.

“For the longest time, I was that guy you think you went to high school with,” Chris Messina says. “People would run up and say, ‘How do I know you? Did we graduate together?’

“After a few rounds of the guessing game, I usually say, ‘I’m an actor.’ ”

Make that an actor with a lot of credits. The 48-year-old has appeared in project after project, giving us plenty of time to get to know him (we think … from … wait, don’t tell us!).

Recent roles include a turn as Michael Jordan’s pit bull agent, David Falk, cussing out Matt Damon’s character, in “Air.”

Messina also stars in the hit movie “The Boogeyman,” based on the Stephen King tale, as a therapist with two young daughters and a demon in his house that he has accidentally unleashed.

Then there is “Based on a True Story,” Peacock’s new eight-part series with Messina and Kaley Cuoco about a Realtor, a tennis star and a plumber who capitalize on America’s obsession with true crime and serial killers.

Lurking on the horizon is “I.S.S.,” a sci-fi thriller about three Americans and three Russians on the International Space Station.

“I’ve never done anything like hanging on a harness for most of the movie because it all takes place in zero gravity,” Messina says. “Hey, I’ve never done anything like that in life, but you have to dare yourself to try. I’d hear ‘cut’ and just spend time hanging upside down. What a rush! Literally.”

“Those are the moments, when you try, that you feel the most alive,” he continues.

The native New Yorker, who studied theater and got his start as an off-Broadway actor, has two sons — Milo, 15, and Giovanni, 14 — with wife Jennifer.

Messina’s good life tips:

Mix it up

Messina says the key to a happy life is never letting things get stale. “It’s so interesting how scripts kind of hurl through the universe and then find their way to my lap,” he says. “I’ve been lucky. Even better is that I get to work on different genres when it comes to my career. … I think if you keep changing it up, you get to learn new things every single time.

“Take ‘The Boogeyman,’ a scary one that was a lot of fun because I had never really done much green screen stuff. Or monster stuff. The person who played the monster had this green jumpsuit on with pingpong balls attached to it. … That was a new one for me.”

Learn from all ages

While filming “The Boogeyman,” Messina spent time getting to know Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair, who play his kids. “It’s great to hang out with younger people because they’re just remarkable human beings, plus cool and kind people,” he says. “In this case, we had fun bonding. We even went to an aquarium and went bowling. And we ate some great things. You can really learn a lot from people of all ages.”

Raise your game

Messina said the age difference can also spark a healthy re-evaluation of yourself. “These young actors are remarkable in this movie. … They’re also so frustrating ’cause they’re so good. I would go home every night and second-guess everything I was doing, which I guess is OK because that just makes you better.”

Find your calling

Messina grew up on Long Island, where his sport was ballet dancing. “Ballet is not the most popular thing for a kid from Long Island,” he recalls. “But I found that dancing and acting made me feel seen, which was the most important thing.” Nowadays, Messina says, some of his favorite times with his own kids are spent dancing around the living room.

Dreams change

“Based on a True Story” hits more of an emotional note about a couple dealing with midlife reality vs. youthful aspirations, Messina says. “You find them at a point in their lives where they’re looking in the mirror and not looking at what they thought it would be, which is extremely relatable. What one dreams of doesn’t always come to fruition,” he says. “But there are new outcomes that become even better if you’re lucky.”

Set yourself free

“Getting rid of my people-pleasing is huge for me,” he said. “When you stop thinking so much about other people and what they think, you are free. You need to know, for better or for worse, this is me in the moment.”

Get healthy

Messina gained 40 pounds for his role in the 2016 Ben Affleck gangster film “Live by Night.” “I ate everything and it was great. I drank a lot of beer,” Messina says. “It wasn’t hard to gain weight, but hard to lose. It took four months to gain, four months to lose.”

Messina’s main takeaway from playing a bigger guy: “People would feel my belly like I was pregnant,” he jokes. “And some of the Santa Monica moms at my kids’ school gave me looks like I really needed to get to that gym.”

Attitude of gratitude

“As an actor, you just put yourself out there,” Messina says. “A lot of times you are failing … and in front of all these people. But sometimes — as in life — you have those good moments. It all clicks and it’s magic. You have to be really grateful for those moments and celebrate them. Life can be gorgeous and incredible.”