I learned a long time ago: You're in the entertainment business. You're not in the reality business. One has absolutely nothing to do with the other.
You can change a person's life in an instant; put him in a movie, and you start thinking differently, you want to be in another movie. It's like an addiction almost.
I'm old enough to never say never. I never had a grand plan with what I was going to do. There are some movies that I would like to be involved with, but I'm trying to be a working actor.
I've tried writing. Two days later I'd go visit it and say, Jesus Christ, who wrote this crap?
You cant act for the editing. You just go in and do the scene the way you think is right.
In a sense, all actors are character actors, because we're all playing different characters. But a lot of the time - and I don't know, because I'm not a writer - but writers a lot of times write second- and third-tier characters better than they write primary characters. I guess they're more fun.
When I was a kid going to the movies, we'd go because Bogart was in the movie, or Cagney, or John Wayne. We didn't know what the story was about or anything.
I know people who go back and check themselves, but it drives me crazy. Everybody wants to look in the mirror and see Cary Grant looking back at them, but that's just not the case.
I don't watch any of my own movies, but I love going to the movies. To me, there is nothing more relaxing or gratifying than sitting down in the dark and having some popcorn and watching a great movie.
I love England and the historical aspect of it.
I have a home in Arizona. I go a couple months a year, but basically Chicago is my home.
Writer-directors are a little bit more liberal, rather than having just the writer on the set, because I think sometimes the writer becomes too precious with the words. If you're a writer-director, you can see what you're doing and see your work in action, so I think you can correct it right there and still not compromise yourself.
I wanted to do Buddy Faro as a small budget movie. They said no. So I wanted to do it as a series of recurring TV movies, and they said no. So I agreed to do it as a series.
Do whatever you're directed to do, and leave the rest of that technical stuff up to the director.
As far as carrying the American banner, you just do what's right for the kids.
What you do as a policeman might be the right thing to do, but it's not entertaining. I left that behind me.
There's a whole catalogue of actors that never went to acting school.
I don't know if I have a technique. I'm just trying to remember the words.
I'd love to do a Western. A real Western like John Ford used to do. There's not too many of them made, so I don't know if I'll ever get to do that. They're awfully hard movies to make.
I don't like to be talked into anything. I don't want to be cajoled.
I read the script and try not to bring anything personal into it. I make notes, talk to the director and we decide what kinds of shades should be in the character.
I think all actors are supposed to be character actors.
I think first impressions are important when you pick up a script.
This is my first experience working in a foreign movie, but the mechanics, I think, are pretty much the same all over; you still have to wait in the trailer.
