I love working fictional characters into a piece of history. It plays to my strengths, which are characterization and dialogue, and assists me in my admitted weakness, plot.
The costume that I wear on the show is a little snug and doesn't leave a whole lot to the imagination. I don't have a problem with it because of the way this character's been written.
More of him came from my step-dad, who is now passed away. The initial creators of the show kind of based the character on their dads and then I added my dad.
My dad wasn't the biggest role model, but he was a great musician and I loved him very much. He was a character.
The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.
Even with a stable character, you want something surprising to happen, hopefully because that's what the camera loves the most. That's what is great about film.
I remember the guest stars who came, they were always trying to find a new plot for their characters because they wanted to stay. It was really a great working environment.
I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has to be countered with knowledge and understanding.
Basically the children who watch it just see the little characters they love, and so they're not discerning about whether it looks great or it's a great story or anything.
I've got all these great broads in me, all these character women. I was playing a torn-down stripper at twenty-five on Broadway, and now I fit the shoes.
I said, 'Wouldn't it be great if Matt Damon's character fell in love with a girl with a real butt?' They were like, 'Yeah sure, sure - here's your personal trainer.'
I love great writing. I like interesting characters. I like to work with people who push me to be better, to elevate my game.
I would rather portray the hero if it's a really great film. All my favorite fictional film characters are heroes, such as in 'The Last of the Mohicans' and 'Robin Hood.'
One thing that's great about being a character actor is that a movie doesn't rest on your shoulders. If it bombs, it won't hurt my career.
My favorite novels allow me to imagine the characters afterward and what happened, and that I've witnessed a really great story, where the world goes on.
'Desperate Housewives' is an ensemble cast, where I played a tertiary character. I made a lot of great friends, but that show didn't keep me very busy.
Whenever people get to see you, it's a great thing. Once people see an image and see the character, they can get into the music a lot more.
I just want to keep laying down really great, strong characters, and the more I go unrecognized, the better job I feel I'm doing.
There's always an anxiety about playing literary characters because one of the great joys of reading books is that you can create your own vision of things.
