You can't betray yourself too often, or you become somebody else.
Ed Harris
I made career decisions that came from the part of me who wanted to shun the limelight.
I had some really dear friends who died from AIDS-one in particular. His family wasn't around and he didn't have many friends. I spent a lot of time with him in his later days.
If I've been an architect of my own career in any fashion, one thing that I've attempted to do is not get typecast, in order to be able to play all different kind of characters. I think I've done a pretty good job of that over the years.
One of the first things I learned about acting was, the only person you compete against is yourself.
I've always wanted to work with Paul Newman. I had a couple opportunities in the past, and I didn't take advantage of it, so it was really fun to be working with him.
I was concerned about filling my life up with something important to me. To me, it was just necessary.
I feel pretty comfortable with who I am. After a while, if you're not, it's like, what are you hoping for?
If I started worrying about how my constituents are going to react to every move I make, I wouldn't be able to do my job here. I'll do what I think is right and explain it later.
You look at a guy like Lance Armstrong, and you have to be inspired. I sat next to Kirk Douglas the other day, and he's inspiring for fighting through his stroke.
If I'm daring at all, I guess it would be emotionally. I try to keep things interesting for myself and to do things that challenge me.
I feel like my place in this industry is still progressing.
It's hard to see a film that's been made from a book that you really loved because it's such a different experience.
I enjoy acting, and I appreciate people who have passion about what they're doing and have a vision about the film they're trying to make.
I like to act with people that know what they're doing.
In the past 10 years, I've looked at life as this Pollock stuff. And now I'm almost in the post Pollock phase.
I feel fine about getting older because I'm in good shape. I'm 64 and I feel good.
I listen to National Public Radio, which, to me at least, presents the most rounded view of things.
Seeing what happens when you rip yourself open is what your job is all about.
I chose films made by people I wanted to work with, about subject matter I thought was intriguing.
I bought the rights to this book, 'The Ploughmen,' by a Montana writer named Kim Zupan, and I've written the screenplay, and I really feel pretty strong about it. It's really hauntingly beautiful. It's got some suspense and great drama, but it's a real character thing.
There's always a reaction based on fear. People assume if you're criticizing a decision to go to war, then you're saying something against the soldiers-which is not the case.
I actually have a decent singing voice, and I've never been able to sing onscreen. I'd love to do a musical.
Pollock said several times that he couldn't separate himself from his art. Not knowing much about modern art when I began to read about him, I was much more his persona - his struggles as a human being - that was interesting to me.
Most of the best writing, the most creative writing, the most interesting, the most out-of-the-box kind of stuff, is being done on cable, you know, and on the computer. I mean, whatever it is, Amazon or Netflix or something. Because they're just willing to take chances, you know, and there's a market for it.
I was born in 1950, so there were tons of Westerns on TV by the time I was 6, 7, 8 years old. In terms of television, 'Maverick' and 'Have Gun - Will Travel.' But filmically, classics like 'High Noon' and 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance' - that's one of my favorite films.
I love this country very much, and I'm proud to live here, but I think our current administration is extreme. These are not merely conservative people, these are extreme right-wing people.
I have some property. We have a few acres, so I like working on it, whether it's cutting stuff down, cleaning stuff up, building steps, or working with concrete, you know, brickwork.
When Bush first got elected, the very first time there was talk of going to war with Iraq, the mainstream media gave his position total credibility. I didn't get it then, and I don't get it now.
You can mostly forget ethnic or religious differences. The competition for a bigger share of the oil proceeds is behind much of the fighting.
A lot of films come out before they're finished.
For The Truman Show, I worked for a few weeks, do my gig, then I was done.
I am not one of these guys who works job after job after job.
I have a tight family group that's really important to me. I don't want to work all the time.
I think most people that are looked upon as doing something daring don't necessarily think of it that way-they do what they have to do.
I'm not an activist per se, but I have strong feelings about things. People can jump on celebrities for being ill-informed or naive, but I've got a right to say what I believe.
When I decided to direct, never having done that before, is something I'm very proud of.
You get three hours' sleep and then you start all over again. Relentless. Pre-production was almost harder than filming. I was all over the city every day. It was really exhausting.
I haven't directed a film since 'Appaloosa,' and I've been looking for something because I love the directing thing.
I think most families have a few secrets or some strange aspect to their history. We're all fascinated by family dynamics, but I'd much rather sit in an audience and watch someone else's problems!
There's, what, 300 films at the Telluride or Toronto or something. How many are those people gonna see? How many of those are actually gonna be in a theater, you know? You know, as an actor, I mean, I learned a long time ago that the fulfillment in this business is the doing of it because you can't rely on anything coming out.
