Sidney Poitier, who is class personified, said: 'Lou, you're a leading man because you're a good actor.' Brought tears to my eyes.
I've said before that the common perception that all good actors should be good liars is exactly the opposite; only bad actors lie when they act.
I did one or two plays at school. Once I played a tree, so I never thought I would be a good actor.
My work requires acting at its most committed - it demands actors of enormous resilience, but also intelligence and wit. It doesn't work for narcissistic or selfish actors.
I've been blessed. Starting with Steppenwolf Theater and onward, learning from wonderful actors and getting to play with wonderful actors.
A pilot is like the most extensive dress rehearsal you can ever imagine, because the writers are learning about the actors, the actors are learning about the characters.
I've always considered myself a character actor. That's the way I was trained, really.
I am not a method actor, though I studied for a year with Lee Strasburg.
I'm not a wealthy person because I was never a star. I was a working actor and a supporting actor.
It's not like every actor needs to train, but an actor will either develop their process through training or through working.
Actors are just entertainers, even the serious ones. That's all an actor is. He's like a serious Bruce Forsyth.
I like the wild characters. I like the idea of being a character actor without being a character actor.
When I'm playing as an actor, I don't want to interfere at all with the director. I'm just an actor. I'm totally respectful.
The pilots I did test for, I was the only black actor testing against white actors for parts that were written white.
I feel like I'm more of a physical actor than a voice actor.
I'm always saying I won't get involved with an actor again, but then I realize how silly that is. The men I meet most often are actors.
Most actors spend a lot of time training themselves to be an actor. And I kind of didn't do that. I just started doin' it in front of an audience and had to deliver.
As an actor, I like as much time with the material as possible and given the opportunity, time spent with the other actors in the scene. But that is a rare luxury in working in any TV series.
I don't like the actors to work together beforehand. I trust my intuition, and I like when the actors are the same.
I've always been an actor, a lowly actor without power, so I've never been corrupted. I've never even directed.
Movies are in a much longer production conversation before an actor is even involved. I always thought of actors as the last piece of the puzzle - so you're a tool.
