I'm not running for office. I just want people to come to my stuff and escape and see me as a character, not as anything else.
The harm which is done by credulity in a man is not confined to the fostering of a credulous character in others, and consequent support of false beliefs.
I like to write first-person because I like to become the character I'm writing.
Put character and mental toughness before execution and you will get consistent execution.
To me, my characters are more real than most people I meet.
I like Edward G. Robinson - he started as a character actor and became a lead, which is probably why I like him.
I had to focus and create a character in Bagger Vance, not just do my 'Will Smith' thing and get paid.
If I'm doing comedy, I try to improvise a lot. Even if they don't use it, it helps me loosen up and figure out the character.
I'm constantly thinking about the role, and there's an infinite amount of questions you can ask yourself about a character to the point that it's hard to find the boundaries of when to not work.
I believe that a large part of the training in the regional theaters is in imitation of the British style of acting. The British orientation is textual; they start from the language and work toward the character.
Doing multiple character work is athletic in every way - vocally, physically, spiritually, and mentally. With a show like 'Passing Strange,' I usually lose about 12 pounds.
I'm not going to let people who work in the United States Department of Justice have their characters be assailed without any basis.
I try really hard to give my kids as much independence as I can, caring mostly about their character: Are they kind? Generous? Do they work hard?
I take the work seriously. Which is why I always swing for the fences whenever I voice a character. But that said, I don't take myself all that seriously.
You'll work hard to create characters that are compelling and unforgettable. But in the end, it's the story that matters.
My job is to help the functioning of the story, not to draw attention to myself, but to make my characters function within the story, to work for the benefit of the story, to make the whole thing work.
I'm always envious of the actors who get to come to work every day and really grow deep roots there, but it is really fun playing lots of different characters.
I know that some people work differently, but I have to work from the inside out. It doesn't matter how big the character is, there has to be a truthful core.
I'm a performer. I push the envelope, I work in a very uncontrolled manner onstage. I do a lot of free association, it's spontaneous, I go into character.
Well, I think in my own work the subject matter usually deals with characters I know, aspects of myself, friends of mine - that sort of thing.
I never wanted to look back on my career and be embarrassed about work that I chose to do. I never wanted to look at character I've done and cringe.
