If you write interesting roles, you get interesting people to play them. If you write roles that are full of nuance and contradiction and have interesting dialog, actors are drawn to that.
I think I did have fantasies about being an actor. In fact, I know I did.
For me, I always have to establish a reality for the character. In very actor-y terms, you just have to understand his reality.
The thing about being an actor is that you turn into other people. You have to hide yourself a bit in order to let that other person come out.
As an actor, you're like, 'Yeah, I want that phone call from Peter Jackson saying, 'You're my first choice for Thorin Oakenshield.'
There's editing, and scripts to read and edit, and casting, and all the elements of production that just sort of take up the normal downtime that you would have as an actor. So there's not a lot of that for me.
I think I've been lucky, being my frequent appearances on Court TV have brought to me another level than just the actor guy.
As an actor there are times when you're sitting around and wishing you were working, so you've got to just take it when it comes.
Honestly, I would not advise any actor necessarily, if he was really thinking of his career, to come out.
I acted in junior high in the junior high school group, and then when I got into senior high I was, you know, the main actor of the senior high school.
If I had my way, all actors over 55 would be issued a 3-lb. wet salmon with which to slap the face of every young, beautiful, successful upstart.
I am not an insecure actor, and this reflects in the films I have done. Yes, there was a phase when I was adamant on solo hero roles, but that is over now.
Eventually, in '84, we made a film for a little over a million dollars - with American actors that was shot in English - that was shown in Finland A little action film called Born American.
It is joyous for any actor to enter other grounds of consciousness and thought. At the end of the day, we just all like dressing up and playing around.
I can't watch myself on screen without dying a little bit inside. And there are lots of moments when I think, 'What am I doing as an actor? I can't act!'
Promotions are the worst part of making a movie. We are actors and not salesmen. Still, you have to go to so many places to try and sell the movie.
There's this list on Internet Movie Database that I'm on, and it's called 'Actors with High Body Counts.' I'm always playing the bad guy.
To go from playing Jack Startz in 'Behind the Candelabra' to playing JFK in the same year, I have now operated at the far ends of my range as an actor.
As much as most of the actors were kind of curious to know what their character meant in relation to the script and to the plot, they really were quite happy to be part of the adventure of not knowing.
I think if an actor is right for a role, casting sees that, and the words that are on the page, depending on how it's written, can really help your character develop.
If you're a musician or actor, you know that if you're successful, some level of fame goes along with that. You're prepared. But how often does that happen to a programmer?
