actor versatility Quotes

I have seen Hollywood artistes like Al Pacino, Tom Cruise and Tim Burton doing theatre and Broadway shows. Cinema actors tend to go back to theatre because it gives them an opportunity to reinvent themselves.

Somebody might get criticized for doing some movie that totally sucks, then turn around and be incredible. Every actor goes through that, not just musicians who act.

Actors get pigeonholed very quickly, particularly movie actors. In the theater, one is more used to casting people against type and trusting that their talent and skill will get them through.

I always loved Hanks in 'Philadelphia' and 'Forrest Gump' and watching how versatile he was. That shaped my impression of what someone was able to do. Of course, everything De Niro came up with was always something I was taken by.

When I go to a movie, I'm always thrilled if I've seen an actor do something and I didn't realize until the end of the movie that that was that person. I love that.

I'm sorry to bang on about it because I know everyone is, but Bryan Cranston in 'Breaking Bad' is remarkable. To see him switch from 'Malcolm in the Middle' to suddenly become Walter White is incredible. It's a) nice to see an actor given that chance, and b) great to see him really take full advantage of it.

As a movie-goer, I really like to watch all different kinds of movies and, as an actor, I always feel like I could do pretty much anything but a musical.

It may sound strange to say it of someone so famous, but I think Leonardo DiCaprio is underrated, particularly from an awards perspective. He is a very versatile actor. He started very young, and 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape?' is one of my favourite films.

Some of the best dramatic actors have started in comedy.

I don't see myself as one type of actor. When you get one role, you start to get cast in that role for awhile because that's what people have seen you do, and have hopefully seen you do it successfully. And so, it becomes an easier thing to see you as, for casting directors and directors, and they start to think of you as that particular person or type of character. But, for me, I'm just an actor, first and foremost. The actors I respect are the real character actors, who are the real chameleon actors that completely change from role to role.

It's a risk casting anyone against type or what they're known to do. But there's one thing better than having a great actor, which is having a great actor who's never done what you're asking him to do. He's hungry to get out of the trailer every day and hungry to test himself.

Some of the biggest and most popular movie stars in the world are limited or have constantly done what they do really well. Being versatile is not necessarily the greatest quality for an actor.

There are so many stage actors on TV but you wouldn't know they were stage actors. And film and TV actors are going to the stage as well, so the crossover is great now.

In Hollywood, the guy who plays Batman and Spiderman also plays normal characters. The biggest stars in the world want to play different characters. We can't give the excuse that because an actor played a superhero in his previous film, his next one won't work.

Mithunda is a great actor. He has done all kinds of roles simultaneously and that's no mean feat.

Bruce Lee only played himself. Chuck Norris is a martial artist that does acting. I want to be an actor that does martial arts.

There's a great deal of echoing going on in 'Old School.' Mr. Piven, who played the upstart outsider in the 1994 campus comedy 'PCU,' has crossed over into playing the stiff martinet.

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!

I do think you are mainly thrown into one medium as an actor, and then hopefully you grow from there.

There was no male vampire type in existence. Someone suggested an actor of the Continental School who could play any type, and mentioned me.

The people I respect in the history of acting, from the beginning, were chameleons.

I think actors become jacks-of-all-trades and masters of none.

Stage is the ultimate test; I like watching established screen actors on stage to see if they can really do it. But it's great to have a healthy mixture of the two. Film is so technical: there's something very particular about the relationship between you and the camera. It took a long time for me to get good on film.

I always wanted to be a character actor. I love watching movies where you don't recognize someone because they're so lost in the part.

I'm only really interested in taking a part if it's nothing like me.