As an author, I breathe life into each and every character within the stories that I write. But it is the reader who gives them their souls.
To some degree, Hollywood doesn't know what to do with me because the characters I do are so different. But hopefully, that will give me longevity.
Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition - such as lifting weights - we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.
I had a lot of coaches growing up that were very hard on the kids in the name of building character, but it could have the opposite effect on kids.
I always find it easier to portray myself as being unlikeable and idiotic; to actually play a character that is likeable and engages the audience is far more difficult. It's a more subtle kind of challenge.
Writing is a solitary business. It’s just you and your characters and a blank page you need to fill.
I don't really ever think about whether or not I like the characters I'm playing. I'm more into the minutiae of their behaviour or what they're doing in a certain scene.
I like playing characters that have a prickly armor because when you start to see the cracks and some heart come out, it gives the audience something to look forward to.
It's kind of interesting when you sign on to a show because you're basically signing on to play a character because you only really see the first episode of the show.
People should know better than to be an ass in front of writers. We immortalize things. Lots of things. And we take liberties with character descriptions.
The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character.
I like to play characters that get to do it all - to have a bit of comedy here and a bit of pathos here and a bit of suspense here, that's what's fun.
Clean living is the cardinal principle in the lives of the world's greatest athletes, as the phenomenal performances of these outstanding characters will obviously show.
I used to audition for 'NYPD Blue' quite a bit, so I had this stock New York detective character that I would bring in for all their auditions.
I wish I were a character actor. Of course, if I played hockey without a mask, I could become one.
You have an awareness of your body and how to use it and I think that if you can embody a character physically it's another really useful tool.
My impulse is to create an aesthetic that's about a humanistic approach to a world and trying to create compassion for all the characters.
People sometimes seem surprised because often, you know, you know, there's a lot of tortured characters in the stuff I write.
I'm not one of these 'the characters write themselves; the story just fell out of me' kind of writers. Wish it was like that.
Hollywood didn't know if I was an actor or a nut or if I was this crazy character I was playing. I had developed an image of being a little bit unusual, different and wild.
There is a misperception, if you will, in critical response or even in Hollywood, that I can only do exaggerated characters. Or what they would call over-the-top performances. Well, this is completely false.
