Ninety percent of my roles, I've had to fight for. It's only a really small percentage of people who get handed roles.
I feel that I'm a perpetual struggler. I always keep struggling to get certain roles, and when I get them, I struggle to get certain types of films.
I've had to fight for roles and I've lost a hundred roles, but 'Smoking' and 'Smith' were phone calls. That's the dream.
'Green Lantern' I screen-tested for twice. I fought for the role. And I'm glad I did, because I felt like I earned it.
When I played Robert Howard in 'The Whole Wide World', I was struggling with it. There's this dual thing where you feel real good about being able to play this juicy part, and then there's constant shame: 'Who am I to pretend to know who this guy was? Who am I to represent this guy for people who never knew him?'
My first professional gig was on a show called 'Nikita,' and I played Al Qaeda No. 2. At that time I had to take those roles because I just wanted to get my foot in the door.
I don't even know how many times I auditioned for Danny Zuko in 'Grease.'
I'm used to working really hard to get a role. I was always auditioning and talking my way into roles.
The girl-next-door image is a sort of joke; for years, I couldn't get any roles other than as somebody dark.
To be honest, nobody was running after me with roles, so there also came a time when I did neglect the acting side and was keen on directing and pursuing that. People got this impression, 'She's directing, not acting,' stuff like that.
I would love to play a role that is a lead role that people appreciate and a lot of people get to see. I just don't want to have to fight for every role anymore.
