Shooting in sequence, I think it intensifies everybody's relationship, the crew, the actors. You have to be very focused, and shooting at night is a challenge because you get tired. I think it requires a special kind of concentration, but it's also exhilarating.

Steve Buscemi

The first movie I had a featured role in was Parting Glances.

Steve Buscemi

The trend now is to shoot in Canada because it's cheaper, and they don't care what the location is.

Steve Buscemi

I usually get freaked out if I'm in a situation where a lot of people recognise me at once.

Steve Buscemi

When I was in pre-production for Trees Lounge, I was hearing the cinematographer talking with the production designer about colours and this and that, and feeling like I was losing control.

Steve Buscemi

My favorite review described me as the cinematic equivalent of junk mail. I don't know what that means, but it sounds like a dig.

Steve Buscemi

It doesn't matter so much where the material comes from, as long as it's good.

Steve Buscemi

Trees Lounge is based on my own life. Both my parents like the movie. My father, of course, thinks it's a masterpiece.

Steve Buscemi

When I moved to the East Village in the late seventies, I wanted to be a street performer, so I practiced daily. I never did work up the skills or the courage to perform on the street, though.

Steve Buscemi

Communication is the key, and it's one thing I had to learn-to talk to the actors. I was so involved with the visual and technical aspects that I would forget about the actors.

Steve Buscemi

I've always been interested in character-driven pieces, and my approach to directing is through acting.

Steve Buscemi

It's great working with Steve Carell and Jim Carrey. Those guys are really funny.

Steve Buscemi

I don't think about the characters I choose to play, analytically or consciously.

Steve Buscemi

Character actors just pile up the credits because you work on a movie for, like, a few days. It's not like I'm the lead in everything I do - far from it. I'm not spending three or four months on a picture; I'm spending three or four weeks. Sometimes three or four days.

Steve Buscemi

Bob Altman had this relaxed but serious attitude. Everybody loved him. I wanted him to adopt me.

Steve Buscemi

In the beginning, it wasn't even a question of deciding I'm going to do independent film and not commercial films - I wasn't being offered any commercial films, and there wasn't an independent scene.

Steve Buscemi

I'm not so in a rush to direct just anything because I'm lucky that I can make a living so far as an actor and not have to worry about that as a director. And so I can be a little more choosy in things I direct.

Steve Buscemi

The thrill of performing - that's something that hasn't changed for me. That simultaneous joy of creating something and sharing it with an audience - it's the same now as it was then, when it was just my cousins' birthday party.

Steve Buscemi

They're not supposed to show prison films in prison. Especially ones that are about escaping.

Steve Buscemi

What was frustrating about Armageddon was the time I spent not doing anything. It was a big special effects film, and I wasn't crazy about pretending I was in outer space. It feels ridiculous.

Steve Buscemi

There's a certain type of character that you can't help but come in contact with growing up and living in Brooklyn and Long Island. A certain mixture of moxie, heart, and a wise guy sense of humor.

Steve Buscemi