During her childhood, Lively accompanied her parents to the acting classes they taught, as they did not want to leave her with a babysitter. Lively said that watching her parents teach helped her learn the "drills" and gain confidence as she got older and began working in the industry. She made her professional debut at age 10, when she appeared in the 1998 film "Sandman", directed by Lively's father. Lively describes her role as a "bit part". She was initially not particularly interested in acting and wanted to attend Stanford University.