I've worked a lot in comedy. As much as I love playing dramatic roles, it's always nice to be able to have some humor around when working.
I really have no ulterior motive in taking on certain roles. I have no larger issue that I really want to show people. I'm an actor, that's all. I just do what I do.
There's a certain cruelty to being on a big screen as your eyelids start to sag and your hair falls out and turns gray that you either have to be able to handle or not. What you can't do is try to force yourself into roles that you could have played or would have played ten years earlier.
Essentially, I'm a small-part actor who's been lucky enough to play leading roles for most of his life.
I've become so earthy. And I never was earthy. I'm doing all kinds of different roles which are not at all like the intellectual and the legal mind of Ben Stone.
It's quite hard to find a ballsy or complex character. So the roles I've taken are those. Lot's of people put me in the dark category.
The guy I played in 'The Xpose' is more like a spoiled brat who likes to have his way than a villain. No more negative roles after 'The Xpose' for me. I've enough problems dealing with the negative image I've been saddled with in some sections.
I want to read books and go for walks and make dinner. I guess there are people who love working and that's great. I'm not one of them. I love tackling roles and I love theater, but filming, I don't get it. It seems mind-numbing to me.
I don't think an actor ever wants to establish an image. That certainly hurt me, and yet that is also what made me successful and eventually able to do more challenging roles.
Because modeling is lucrative, I'm able to save up and be more particular about the acting roles I take.
Among my activities was membership in the Boy Scouts; I rose each year through the ranks, eventually achieving the rank of Eagle Scout and undertaking leadership roles in the organization.
As a community, we're fighting for Asians to play Asian roles. And then there's the other battle, which is Asian Americans playing roles that aren't written for Asians, and I think that's something that completely should happen; Why can't an Asian American male just play a leading cop figure... or the Matt Damon roles?
In Australia, there just weren't strong roles for actors of colour. I was often being asked to turn up for commercials with a ghetto blaster on my shoulder. I thought, 'Are we in the '60s?'
I've always been really picky about roles and make a point of reminding myself that it's not about the money - because, obviously, there's a lot of money to be made in this business if you're willing to do anything.
I studied theater in college, and I really wanted to be an actress and play a lot of different roles. Then I made landing on a television comedy my main focus.
Before 'Animal Kingdom,' I wasn't particularly thought of in villainous roles.
So as long as I'm a working actor, I can improve. I want to work with people that frighten me and excite me, and characters that I don't believe I'm the best person for the part but I'm still gonna try anyway. Those are my favorite roles.
I'm vain enough to want do a movie again, but right now more roles are the last thing on my list.
It's been difficult to find roles that are independent, strong, and self-assured; I always say I can't play the princess. I'm not a pretty princess! I'm a tomboy.
So now I feel I'm lucky in the respect that I can sort of pick a little more carefully, which is tricky because as a black actress, there aren't that many roles to pick from.
All the roles I play, I don't see any of my roles in films that they're typically leading men.
More often than not, I get cast as quite Machiavellian roles - it's something about my face; I'm quite shifty or something!
I always felt that, as an actor, I should play a variety of roles rather than just sticking to one kind & getting typecast.
I specifically remember doing the musical 'Sweet Charity' at Stagedoor. I was playing Vittorio Vidal, which is a very funny part, and some other small roles. I couldn't really sing that well, but there were so many fun bits, and I just remember the tremendous adrenaline rush I felt from being onstage and hearing the audience enjoying it.
People were confused by me, and at first I was auditioning a lot for the crazy characters or the victim, someone who'd been attacked. Which is great, because usually those are the best acting roles.
You become very angry and depressed that you keep getting offered only these exceedingly demure and repressed roles. They're so not me. That's why films like Fight Club were so important to me because I think I confounded certain stereotypes and limited perceptions of what I could do as an actress.
I don't think guys inherently don't want to clean. I think the roles are most definitely changing, but I think in a good relationship, it's never been defined as 'a lady does this and a guy does this.' I think, in most working, healthy relationships, everybody does a little bit of everything.
I had two roles for which I compromised.
We don't consider the roles that we're taking in making the world the way it is.
There's a huge raft of roles that actors in our culture perform, and you can see any one of about three Hamlets in a year. It's not something to be completely daunted by.
Playing good girls in the 30s was difficult, when the fad was to play bad girls. Actually I think playing bad girls is a bore; I have always had more luck with good girl roles because they require more from an actress.
People don't see me in traditional roles; I'm not getting cast in the revival of 'Company' as Bobby.
Today's global landscape is increasingly interconnected. China and the Middle East play critical roles towards international peace and security.
There are times when I don't take roles because I don't want to be perceived a certain way.
I've been doing this since I was 10 years old, inhabiting different people and playing different roles.
I often do very serious roles, but really I am a big clown.
