Quotes by Peter Riegert

About Peter Riegert:

Peter Riegert is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, known for his roles as Donald "Boon" Schoenstein in Animal House (1978), "Mac" MacIntyre in Local Hero (1983), the fast talking gangster Aldo in Oscar (1991) and the tough Lt. Kellaway in The Mask (1994). He directed the 2000 short film By Courier and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film, shared with producer Ericka Frederick. On television, he had a recurring role as crooked New Jersey State Assemblyman Ronald Zellman in seasons three and four of the HBO series The Sopranos (2001-2002) and appeared as George Moore in the first season of the FX series Damages (2007)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

In 2000, I realized I had reached that certain age when the parts get scarcer. So I decided to try my hand at directing.

Peter Riegert

Setting a movie in an earlier age gives it a mythical quality.

Peter Riegert

When you get older, unless you're a huge star, the parts become less and the competition becomes greater. Because the guys left standing are the best.

Peter Riegert

I adapted an O. Henry short story called 'By Courier,' which got nominated for a Best Short Subject Oscar.

Peter Riegert

I think when you're younger, as an actor you have much more of a notion that you are doing something to the audience. But with experience, I think you begin to worry less about what the audience's experience is and concentrate on working with the oth...

Peter Riegert

I did a play in high school, then one in college. My first professional experience was off-off-Broadway. I'm conveniently blocking the title. I'm sure I was terrible.

Peter Riegert

I like Guinness, and that will make anyone Irish. That and soda bread, and I'm good to go.

Peter Riegert

Obviously, any time you're closer in terms of what your knowledge is to a character, you can add something. But an actor's job is not to play only people he can identify with.

Peter Riegert

You have to have an ego to be an actor, but you need an ego just to get through life! Unless you want to sit on a corner and suck your thumb, it takes a healthy ego to get up in the morning and say, 'I deserve to be here.'

Peter Riegert

You rely on a lot of things about learning to play a particular character.

Peter Riegert

It's a very neurotic time we live in, this postanalytical period where everybody goes to a shrink to solve their problems.

Peter Riegert

We don't think of them as acting, but we take on certain characteristics based on where we function, and those relationships draw out aspects of who we are as people. And that's what acting is. Different parts draw out different parts of your nature.

Peter Riegert

Ease is something that I think many admire in other people, in sports or whatever it may be.

Peter Riegert

There are times when you have to fight for something you believe in, that you love.

Peter Riegert

There are movies I've seen or books I've read that attach themselves in a way that's greater than the ability to understand why. How do you explain that kind of connectedness?

Peter Riegert

I got to learn from the American audience. Hearing what it is they're not getting. These are audiences, 35 to 40, an older demographic that controls seven to 10 trillion dollars. And the producers and distributors have convinced themselves this group...

Peter Riegert

It never occurs to me that acting with a superstar is something to worry about. I figure the bigger the better because more will be demanded of me.

Peter Riegert

I did 'Animal House' in 1978, then 'Local Hero' in 1983, and then in '88, 'Crossing Delancey.' And I realized that every three to five years, you need a big role to put you into the national psyche.

Peter Riegert

I apply the three gag rule, which is if I can read a script without gagging more than three times, then maybe I can say yes to this job.

Peter Riegert

There is a temptation for an actor to editorialize what they're doing. And you can't do that with Pinter. It's almost like a musical score. His lines are so specific, but they can mean different things to different people, like an alternating current...

Peter Riegert

Author Bio

  • NamePeter Riegert
  • DescriptionAmerican actor and director
  • BornApril 11, 1947
  • CountryUnited States Of America
  • ProfessionScreenwriter; Film Producer; Actor; Television Actor; Film Actor; Film Director