Denis Leary Quotes

The hardest thing to do in movies is be a day-part player. You have to go in, make your mark, and get out. There's a lot of leading actors who are not good for a lot of a movie, and then suddenly they have good moments, and they're like stepping-stones across a particularly feisty stream. They build careers out of that.

A whole new career opened up for me when I was in 'Lord Of The Rings' and 'Star Wars.'

I was only a leading man for a minute; now I'm a character actor.

Can't step from one movie set to the next. Only Samuel L. Jackson can do that. All us mere mortals can't do that!

Who could have asked for anything better? I was cast in movies with great actors, with great leading men.

I usually play character parts in Hollywood films.

I like flawed characters very much. A lot of times I get asked to do parts that are kind of small but key - three-scene roles that are three kick-ass scenes. Growing up, watching as many movies as I did, I was always into character actors like that.

I was a theater man, so I was never in the situation of being a handsome Hollywood leading man, and then having to age.

I am going to be the next Ryan Gosling.

It's so odd because I don't even know if I'm cut out for it, but being a movie star guy, I sort of end up gravitating toward the Coen brothers. That's one of the reasons my wife and I moved to L.A.: that however much of a pipe dream that would be, I moved to L.A. because I'd love to work with the Coen brothers.

Hire me for the next picture. I don't have to just play down-and-out trailer trash and mean, old, wicked, old nuns. I could play a princess or a queen. That's all I wanted to do. Because campaigning does go on. It's a part of selling the film.

I'm certainly not going to play any of Matt Damon's roles in the future. But he will eventually grow into mine, since he'll be around for a long time.

I'm a fan of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and all these people. If I could end up like Jonah Hill, winding up in a Brad Pitt movie, that would be awesome.

I get sent a lot of scripts where you're just the mom.

I like movies because I've been getting leads, and TV is more about ensemble casts.

I am no champion, no great name, just a small actor who loves working for cinema.

Mature roles full of substance the kind played by Robert De Niro and Al Pacino - my favourite actors - is what I want to do.

TV's hard work. I don't know how the hell Angela Lansbury survived doing 'Murder, She Wrote' all those years. And sure, everyone wants to be Bruce Willis or George Clooney - they want to be in film for the range of characters you get to play.

I have to make my bones with Hollywood to get in. And when I do maybe I'll metamorphose from Mr. Muscles or whatever it is I am now and become an irascible tosser.

It's not like you do 'SNL' and then get handed movie roles. You work, you audition for stuff and try to get it. I think, a lot of people, it's the goal to be in movies or just to be working in general. But yeah, some of us get lucky and get some movie roles, and it's nice.

I play mostly bad guys on TV and mostly good guys in movies.

Character actors have a long shelf life.

I think if you do something effectively whether you're the lover or the comic or the action guy or the villain like I play; movies are very expensive to make. Chances are you'll get asked to play that part again.

I built my entire career off of teen comedies. I was in 'Bring It On'.

I guess I'm just a normal kid apart from the acting.