I didn't think I could be my imperfect self. I pretended I was Marcia, so I was always playing this role. I became her, but yet I wasn't. It's strange.
I've been thinking a lot about how we worship celebrity and how we have Elvis and Marilyn Monroe and Jesus all on the same playing field.
My older brother Mike is an excellent trumpet player. By the time he was 12, he was playing around Kansas City in classical situations. He was already an amazing talent.
The only job I'd ever had that might be considered not playing music was teaching guitar, which I did in college for a while, but that still falls in the same category.
At a festival like Coachella, you're not necessarily playing for your fans. You're playing to some, but there is also a lot of people that have maybe heard one of your songs, but aren't quite fans yet, so you feel like you have something to prove.
Even when I'm playing someone named 'Fat Amy.' I'm all about confidence and attitude.
I think I've spent so much time playing characters that are so far away from me and learning how to technically build and how to technically put something on top of you.
For my money, if I'm playing anything then it has to have some sharp angles on it. It's got to have some edges that you can cut yourself on, otherwise it's boring.
I took a private lesson, but it didn't really work out, so I went back to playing along with records. That's really the thing that got me into playing a lot - getting excited about playing along with my favorite bands like Zeppelin and Black Sabbath.
The reason Joy Division and New Order are as influential and successful as they are is because of the unique playing of all the individuals.
Today, you're either very big or you're playing stadiums or you're not playing anymore. You're either popular where everybody will go to a 20,000 seat arena to see you or they won't go to see you at all.
My first job was playing 'Nurse 2' in a film by Ben Elton called 'Maybe Baby,' and the first actors I worked with professionally were Hugh Laurie and Joely Richardson. I was totally star-struck. I got that job on my final day of drama school, so it was a nice bridge into the professional world.
Because I'm a big guy, I was always playing the bad guy or whatever, but after I did 'The Blind Side,' where I played a father who's a really loving, likeable sort of person, a lot of those barriers were broken down. People saw me as something softer, not so much as a heavy anymore.
I guess I'm happy that I'm getting the attention. Otherwise, I'd just be playing in a local bar in front of my family members, and I'm sure they'd get sick of that in no time.
When I play, I very quickly put myself into a light hypnotic trance and compose while playing, drawing directly from the emotions.
Soccer can be very subtle; it's a very nuanced sport. If I happen to make things easy and people don't see it, that could be a reason why someone might stand out more than I do. But that's just the way I've grown up playing the game.
My strongest hope is for a cameo as a band playing in a club visited by the detectives on 'Law & Order: SVU' during the course of an investigation, maybe during sound check, or something, so they can force us to stop playing while they question the sound guy.
I don't mind playing or watching a movie or sitting down.
I went straight in. Fade in, one... whatever. He's playing the piano in the radio station.
I won an Academy Award for 'The Cider House Rules,' playing an American.
I choose grey characters, as I enjoy playing a human character. I don't shy away from showing the shortcomings of my characters.
I've been at this for a while, and to a very real extent, you look at cover art with the same sort of expectation you have for playing slot machines in Vegas. That is to say, you hope to break even and promise yourself not to flinch when all you get is the same sort of mix of fruit that you get in a cup of generic fruit cocktail.
I think sometimes you just need to play in this league. As a rookie coming out of college, you don't understand the real significance of being a pro unless you're playing other pros. It doesn't help you to play sporadically here or there.
We're playing strip billiards.
Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well.
You need a manager that believes in you and shows that he believes in you by playing you.
Hey, look at this guy Kenny G. with his thing, walking up and down the aisles of the concert hall and running off the stage and playing the same time. It's old hat!
I loved doing 'Homeland.' I loved playing Brody.
You always see people coming back to the sport, and I've always thought, 'Gosh, when you're done playing, wouldn't you just want to stay at home?'
Until Mad Season, I didn't have that confidence to write songs, and I really got it, playing with these guys. It meant the world to me.
I love playing live, I don't like studios all that much. I need the reaction of the audience.
If I stay healthy and I'm playing good tennis I have as good a chance as anybody.
I couldn't be playing him for this long if I didn't like him.
Playing with Kip I definitely learned a lot playing with these incredible guys and hearing them.
I think the way I play the guitar is very percussive. I play a lot of rhythm chops as though I were playing congas or something.
I encourage all players to work to be their best, which includes looking for opportunities beyond the playing field.
