Sean Penn Quotes

'Performance' gave me doubts about my way of life. Before that, I had been completely involved in the more bawdy side of the film business. But after that, everything changed.

I started life washing cars in Canada before moving on to selling life insurance and vacuum cleaners. Later, I went through a programme by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, which literally changed my life. It was the turning point.

As soon as I got my proper first job, I never did acting again. I think the last thing I did was a Mike Figures film, and then I got a series with the BBC. I'm glad of the experience, because I think it's very, very good to understand what actors go through.

After three years in Chicago, I decided to call it a career.

The only reason my work seems to be eclectic up to a certain period is because I was a failure as an actor.

I haven't given up on acting, but I've gone away from it for a while to concentrate on myself and the fans of 'Star Wars.'

I was a musician and did moderately well at that. I made an enjoyable living as a very young man, but I think as I became more comfortable and knowledgeable about myself and what I wanted, I moved into acting. I came to it rather late - later than most. I just really wanted to try my hand, and thankfully, it worked out for the most part.

I love my career. I thought, if I was lucky, I would retire as a senior intelligence officer, still working on the issues of counterproliferation. But that didn't happen, so - new chapter.

The stupidest thing I ever did was turn down 'Terms of Endearment' to do 'Cannonball Run II.' Jim Brooks wrote the part of the astronaut for me. Taking that role would have been a way to get all the things I wanted.

I was playing a lot of bigger, sort-of-comedic characters in slightly heightened realities, and it had been so fun and fulfilling for a long time. But it got to a point where I just felt like I didn't have that in me anymore.

I've tried to reinvent myself from time to time, and I enjoy doing movies.

The truth is, I should have never done teaching. I did teaching because I didn't have the bottle to have a go at comedy. Whether there's any gain to comedy is not for me to say. But certainly it was no loss to teaching.

Right after college, I participated in the Miss India contest and then went on to pursue modelling, as that seemed like the logical next step. But pretty soon, I started to feel stagnant in that profession.

My career was about to change radically, in turning 50 I had hit the age where my Dad made a big career and his life started to unravel.

Today what is more important for me is performance. At the risk of sounding immodest, I have done it all - 61 movies over 12 years. But now I am looking for quality. It's easy to be a star. Now I want to be an actress.

On my fifth film, it was then that I stopped dancing.

And so I'm still giving some thought - I will transition hopefully into the corporate world. And I look forward to getting involved in several other areas that I have a great interest in.

Life changed at 40 for me, as predicted by my acting teacher when I was leaving college. I became more hirable and more interesting... I'm not sure why.

I see myself as a recovering journalist.

After an 18-year career, I left the film industry, not wanting to become one of those child-actor cautionary tales.

I actually didn't always want to be an actor.

I'd like to think there'll be too much of real life going on for me to want to do much acting.

I was so honored to be on 'Entourage' for eight years but I want to show people that I can do other things.

Only then, approaching my fortieth birthday, I made philosophy my life's work.

I loved doing 'Pennies from Heaven.' Because you have to understand that I'd been doing comedy for 15 to 20 years, and suddenly along came the opportunity to do this beautiful film. It was so emotional to me. I loved it. I don't think it was a good career move, but I have no regrets about doing it.