Quotes:
ON WORKING WITH DIRECTOR/FRIEND P.T. ANDERSON:
"Paul finds things out about you. All the
while, your're hanging out---he's very casually mining your psyche for
material. It's become a bit of a joke in our crowd--you know--be careful
what you say or it'll wind up in the movie. Whatever you do, don't tell
that embarrassing childhood story about how you wet your pants at the
mall."
"He see's things in me that no other director has ever seen, so I
feel very lucky to have met him. And the best thing is that nobody's
making movies like this right now. He really takes a stab at telling the
truth---which is always refreshing."
ON ACTING:
"I think I'm appreciated by people who watch
movies to the degree that they don't know who I am from movie to movie.
That's actually a compliment. Some people think I'm stupid for this, but
I try to think in long-term goals, to do work that I can be proud of in
10, 20 years, not just disposable crap that made everyone chuckle in the
moment."
"[An actor] should never lose the ability to surprise the audience.
That's why I've stayed away from TV, 'cause if people know you too well,
or think they know what your're going to do, that kind of kills it. I'll
go into hiding if that happens."
"I think when I'm doing my job the best, all of my roles are in
some way a reflection of my personality, or different facets of my
personality. I tend to think of a character as a really exaggerated part
of my personality. You find the little splinter of yourself that is
common with the character, then enlarge that splinter so it becomes your
whole personality."
"I think it's funny when you hear actors describing a game plan or
goals they have. The fact is, unless you're some big star and you're
developing stuff for yourself, you're kind of just taking it as it
comes."
ON FILM VS. THEATRE ACTING:
"People make a big deal about the difference
between film and theatre, but to me it is kind of similar except that
theatre happens very quickly. In film, it takes 6 months for your voice
to get to the audience. Theatre is kind of like the Olympics. It
exercises all the muscles of acting. You've got to do it every night and
that's very stabilizing. In terms of your state of mind, it's really
good."
ON CHURCH/RELIGION:
"Church is really theatrical. When I do
plays, and sometimes when I do movies, I feel kind of like a priest. The
lights go down and all these people come together and commune. It's kind
of holy, in a way."
ON CELEBRITY/FAME:
"If I ever get caught up out here with the
whole sunglasses-and-convertible crowd I go back to Chicago and quickly
am reminded of my roots, 'cause my family doesn't give a crap about
Hollywood....they don't even talk about it."
ON HIS DREAM ROLE: "WILLY WONKA":
"As a kid I remember being really entranced
by "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory". In a way, my
personality is something like a cross between the little boy in that and
Gene Wilder. It's kind of the template for my psyche."
"That would be a dream role for me. I understand they're doing a
remake of it. Just tell me who I have to bl** to get that part. To play
Willy Wonka--I could just die happily then."
