John Noble Quotes

It's got to be a challenge but at the same time you have to feel as though you can play them - it's really dangerous to want to be a part of something just because you think it's going to be great. I've been sent plenty of scripts where I've known that it's going to be a great film and a successful one, but I just couldn't convince myself that I was the right person for the part. So, I think you have to be careful with that.

There are tons of different reasons why you do TV series and why you don't, and how it'll affect your career, and all that. Without a doubt, it has always come down to the script for me. I'm an actor who wants to do great parts, and I've been very fortunate, for a long time, to get meaty roles.

I'd love to say that every move I make is completely calculated and I'm sitting on a pile of scripts, sifting through them for the perfect role, but the fact is that there are a lot of talented people out there and there's a lot of competition in our business.

Let's say you would see me in a lot more big movies had I done movies that I'd been asked to do playing bad guys. Now that I have a child on the way, I think that you'll probably be seeing me play more bad guys. If that's what's going to put bread on the table, that's what I'm going to be doing.

But actors at a certain point take the best of what's available to them.

I'm trying to mix the cool, independent stuff with the big stuff, but it's been difficult finding the right roles. It's been an interesting ride as far as my career pendulum is concerned.

After 'Mad Men,' I got offered various types of uptight Englishmen, which I wasn't interested in doing. I didn't want to repeat myself.

I wasn't turning down film roles, let's put it that way. I was never really on that radar.

I was offered 'Pretty Woman.' I was offered 'Big' and 'Dead Poets Society.' But what was important to me in those years was to make movies, to make these Albert Brooks movies.

I have been offered roles in mainstream films which have not been interesting to me. They have been too insignificant.

For an actor, it's important to choose the right kind of project.

Once 'Uyir' created a controversy, I had several offers coming my way with prominence to my character. However, I avoided them purposefully.

Soon after 'Paruthiveeran' I was flooded with scripts that were almost the same as the award-winning film. I had offers from Malyalam, Telugu and Kannada filmmakers. But I had to be firm and in fact I realized that now I had to be more careful with my choice of films because I have raised the audience expectations.

I like doing Marathi films. I am not too keen on Hindi TV shows. It's very tough to get Hindi films, but if a good script and role comes up in future, I will surely pick it up.

Frankly speaking, from day one, I've been offered solo leads, but I did not take up any of them. For me, it has to be the right script and the right director before I launch myself in Tollywood in a lead role.

It has happened with me that I get a role of a cop for a film. Few directors typecast you if you do that particular role well. But, it is the actor who has to decide whether he fits in that role or not.

I enjoyed all my films equally. I have loved working in all the movies which I signed. Whenever I used to like the script and the director only then I would say yes for the movie otherwise it was a complete no.

Like any other actor, I want to work with good directors, and I always look for good scripts. I've had to say no to some people; I suspect that's the reason I'm called arrogant.

Even after the Tamil 'Ghajini' became a superhit, I didn't go on a signing spree, though I was flooded with offers. I took my time before doing 'Pokkiri' and 'Dasavatharam.'

I need to be careful about the films I choose to do.

To be an actor you need various things. You need to have a head for choosing the roles. You have to be, hopefully, easy to work with so people enjoy working with you. You have to deal with missing roles, with not being asked to work, with doing good work and then being castigated by the critics for it. You have to have a skin that can deal with all of that. I, fortunately, seem to have the makeup which allows me to deal with the business. I mean, not as everybody.

People tell me not to do a soap, but it was a great learning experience because I became familiar with the technical aspects of the business. Besides, look who came out of soaps - Julianne Moore, Demi Moore, Tommy Lee Jones, Parker Posey, Kathleen Turner. All amazing people.

I've worked with Andre Techine lately and with a young unknown director on a short film. I choose my roles carefully.

I don't blame any director for wanting to do something more commercial. That's all part of the business. I certainly have done it, as an actor.

If people offer me decent roles in good films, of course I'll take it. But I just didn't like the actor lifestyle. You end up focusing all your energy on trying to get parts you don't even want.