I think a lot of actors need validation. If you see truly amazing actors perform, they expose themselves to such an incredible degree. You can really see their pain.
I seem to be able to disassociate my insecurities. I know a lot of actors - some of the best actors in the world - can't bear to watch themselves and I have to say I can't relate to that.
I'm labeled a comedic actor, which is awesome. But I love getting the occasional dramatic role, too. Some of your best dramatic actors are ultimately comedians.
From 1980 to 1990, I shot more films than any other actor in the Screen Actors Guild, apart from Gene Hackman.
It's like playing tennis, you play a different rally with different people. Every actor is different and the chemistry between actors is different.
But I think the children of actors share a certain pragmatic approach. One is denied some of that 'running away with the circus' element of being an actor.
I've worked on shows where the lead actor doesn't know their lines, doesn't care, and it affects everybody - the crew, the director, the other actors. It's definitely a responsibility.
That was my original dream, anyway, to be on stage. I think the stage is an actor's place because actors, it belongs to you.
Actors don't generally go asking other actors for advice too much, but I'll take suggestions wherever I can.
I've done stuff to pay my dues and that's what actors are supposed to do, because I was a really bad actor when I was 18 or 20.
I think most actors are shy. I really do. The greatest actors can disappear. I had friends call me the Blend-In Man.
But I would like to think that it's the actor that makes the difference in these cases. Not the director, not the guy that wrote the book, not the guy that adapted it for the screen, but the actor.
Actors always start with the voice and language. That's wrong. They should start with the body. The body is an actor's most important resource.
When actors get a bad name for diva behavior - I've never seen it. Because my experience with people who are really famous actors is that they work really hard.
I have actor friends, but they're not famous. I feel like if you're an actor or - famous, you have to overly prove that you're a normal, cool person.
Communication is the key, and it's one thing I had to learn-to talk to the actors. I was so involved with the visual and technical aspects that I would forget about the actors.
I mean, you know, actors lives - you're forgotten. Look at Barrymore, and look at all the great actors. They're forgotten after awhile.
I know some really great actors who are pretty judgmental people, pretty critical people. But they're great actors. When they're acting, that's the craft.
I mean, the actors that I admired were Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, an actress named Barbara Harris. And Greta Garbo. They were great actors.
The great actors we had came from the actor-manager theaters. Not only did they create a team, they were the generals working with the soldiers.
Theatre is the principal job of an actor. An actor's job is to tell a story to someone in a room. TV and film can be great and I really love doing it, but it is a different way of telling a story.
