I hung onto Hollywood by the skin of my teeth, and at first I fought over every piece of bread. Later, I got very small parts.
Bit parts in Mediocre TV shows won't develop your acting chops.
Much of the day I have busied myself making notes on the small parts in Shakespeare, often nameless, which are rewarding to the actor if only he'll not dismiss them as beneath his dignity. If I can work it up into a talk I might call it, 'Only a cough and a spit ' -the phrase so often used by actors to explain away a lack of opportunity.
Actually, I had a really nice part in that movie [Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains]. I mean, I have, like, one second in the final-cut version, where I say "You're fired" to Diane Lane. That's about all you see of me.
Sometimes the best parts are the leading men. But the little parts can be similarly gratifying.
In 1983 I was still playing small to middling parts.
I've just always had a soft spot for character actors.
Lead roles are fun, but I'm especially happy other, more colorful supporting stuff has come along.
When I was a young actor I was in a lot of film doing one day work and two days' work, and they've included all those titles, which I don't even remember. I think I've played the lead in about 75 movies.
Most men have no purpose but to exist, Abraham; to pass quietly through history as minor characters upon a stage they cannot even see
I was definitely in acting class in school, but I was never the princess of the play. I will always remember: they always gave me the part of the gypsy or the old man in the corner.
When I was younger in the theater, I didn't really feel like I got much recognition from the powers that be. I got a lot of small roles - I never got the standout roles.
The little words in the Republic of Letters, like the little folks in a nation, are the most useful and significant.
I'm often given parts that aren't as big as they are colorful, but people remember them. When it's a minor or supporting role, you learn to make the most of what you're given. I can make two lines seem like 'Hamlet'.
