Actor Quotes

My father was a Catholic, but my mother wasn't. She had to do that weird deal you do as a Catholic - they deign to sanction your marriage and you have to bring your children up as Catholics.

'Mad Men' is a hard act to follow. Unless you're called Elisabeth Moss, stuff like this only comes along once in your career.

It used to be that you could do these nuggets of a movie and it would attach itself in terms of credibility to your work and the style of work that you did, that people would be interested and curious about you and your work as an actor.

If you don't look like Rupert Graves or Hugh Grant, they'll have you playing the gardener.

I've done quite a lot of dying on shows and in movies. To have a good death scene though - come on, it's brilliant. I love a good death scene!

I've auditioned for normal characters. But I never get cast.

I wasn't aware of my dad being an actor when I was young. I remember there was an Australian children's entertainer on television called Ralph Harris and when I'd say my father was an actor, kids would say, you know, 'oh, is he Ralph Harris?' And I had to say no and then they would lose interest.

I was beginning to think I was typecast in everyone's mind out there as a serial killer. I played a serial killer in one movie, I was the ghost of a serial killer in another and in a third, a computer-generated serial killer. The stage looks pretty good after those roles.

I was 17, and all I wanted to do was to get away from England and the awful, boring boarding schools I'd been going to there. The last one was taught by monks, and I couldn't wait to get out.

I used to do lots of independent films and for a while I was very content living in New York City and doing independent movies and off-Broadway theater. I loved it, I had a really good time doing that, and I worked on a lot of projects that are very dear to my heart, both plays and films.

I thought if I went somewhere where I didn't know anybody and they didn't know me I could start all over again.

I think you always learn something in every character you play onstage, either personally or creatively.

I think at some point every actor has practiced their acceptance speech while they're having a shower. It's fun.

I remember thinking, 'I'll audition just once and if it doesn't work out I'll never think about it ever again.'

I really wanted to get out of England.

I never lost an argument and my parents assumed I would be a lawyer. They cast me in that role.

I keep mementos from everything I've done. I've got my cab driver's license from 'Happiness.' I've got a pair of glasses and a belt buckle from playing John Lennon. I've got a pair of sunglasses from playing Andy Warhol... It's all in a box in the garage.

When Bush first got elected, the very first time there was talk of going to war with Iraq, the mainstream media gave his position total credibility. I didn't get it then, and I don't get it now.

There's always a reaction based on fear. People assume if you're criticizing a decision to go to war, then you're saying something against the soldiers-which is not the case.

Seeing what happens when you rip yourself open is what your job is all about.

Pollock said several times that he couldn't separate himself from his art. Not knowing much about modern art when I began to read about him, I was much more his persona - his struggles as a human being - that was interesting to me.

One of the first things I learned about acting was, the only person you compete against is yourself.

It's hard to see a film that's been made from a book that you really loved because it's such a different experience.

In the past 10 years, I've looked at life as this Pollock stuff. And now I'm almost in the post Pollock phase.

If I'm daring at all, I guess it would be emotionally. I try to keep things interesting for myself and to do things that challenge me.

If I started worrying about how my constituents are going to react to every move I make, I wouldn't be able to do my job here. I'll do what I think is right and explain it later.

I've always wanted to work with Paul Newman. I had a couple opportunities in the past, and I didn't take advantage of it, so it was really fun to be working with him.

I'm not an activist per se, but I have strong feelings about things. People can jump on celebrities for being ill-informed or naive, but I've got a right to say what I believe.

I was concerned about filling my life up with something important to me. To me, it was just necessary.

I made career decisions that came from the part of me who wanted to shun the limelight.