Performance Dedication Quotes

It's easy to be an actor at 8 or 9 in the morning, but it's really important to be focused and work hard at 6 and 7 at night, after you've been on the set for 10 or 12 hours. That time counts, too.

I'm always 100% committed to a character, a story and a director, and with Michael Mann it was 1,000%. I don't know how to explain this.

Some people just come to a rally to see the stars. But some do take us seriously. They have been watching us on the screen and they know the conviction that goes into our acting.

There's a way to do an acid trip like Harold & Kumar, and there's a way to be on acid. What I know of acting, Sean Penn actually strapped up to that electric chair in Dead Man Walking. These are the guys that I look up to.

The thing that I don't like is the selfie when people turn their back to the stage. I'm playing my heart out, I put everything that I have into my performance. If someone turns their back to me like a zoo animal... that drives me absolutely bananas.

I think I fully commit myself to any role to the extent to which I can. In other words there's some roles that maybe it's just not there, in other words on the page. You know, I mean your job is you need to play the governor and that's what you do. I mean I'm not going to stay up all night if I'm playing a functional role. And I've played a couple of functional roles. And so I'm not going to do anything other, look he's a functional guy. He says hey mister, you forgot your hat.

Of course, the age-old tradition that a star must appear even if he or she is practically dying is an excellent one, but it can be carried too far. I one played a performance of The Knight of the Burning Pestle with a temperature of 103 and gave sixteen members of the company mumps, thereby closing the play and throwing everybody out of work. There may be a moral lurking somewhere in this, but I cannot for the life of me discover what it is.

I've played many characters that have consumed me and owned me.

My idea of an actor is to be different persons with different roles. Every time a script interests me, I look for interesting characters because I intend to completely transport myself into it. This happens only because I am a very greedy actor. I am not part of the rat race because I am living a dream.

I have been approached to direct films, but I think everybody has their limits. For me, I want to focus all my energy and efforts on acting and give the best performance possible. For now, I am focusing on that. Who knows, in the future maybe I will change my mind.

A career in the theatre demands so much commitment.

At the end of the day, it's all one version of telling a story. I treated this as if it was a two million dollar independent film. I did a lot more physical work than I'd probably have to do for a two million dollar independent film with four months of training and stuff. But as far as the character's psychology or emotional life goes, I treat it just the same.

I approach all of my movies with an open mind and a willingness to dive in and do what's asked of me.