My plan was I just knew, I think the first time I was in a high school play, and I liked the feeling of that. Getting on the stage and entertaining and audience. Eventually, I went to New York and studied my craft, and I was in school for two years in the same class with Joanne Woodward and Steve McQueen.
Most of the time, I don't even watch what I do on TV. I go in, get the job done, and just know it's nothing. It's a job. Sometimes, I try something different, and I'll watch out of curiosity. Generally, I don't watch too much of what I do. Movies are basically the same, except it's more money spent on sets.
When I go back to theater, I feel good about myself. When I do films or TV, it's to make a little bread to pay my mortgage or whatever, and when I've made the money, I do theater again. And when I get a part I like, a part I can work on, that satisfies me. I feed good about myself.
In your career, you must be so careful; otherwise, you get caught in a particular image, and it's hard to break.
I was supposed to do a film with Bill Shatner called 'Free Enterprise 2.' They were calling me into wardrobe, and they said they are holding off for a while. Then the next thing I knew... either the money dropped out, or the producer ran off with the money. I think it's the second story that's true.
There was one I did called 'The Phantom,' and we did a sequel to that called, 'Return of the Phantom.' I thought there was wonderful stuff in that. There was another show I love called 'Man Beast,' where I was the star, and I turned into a Beast; one of those things. It was great fun because I didn't let the stuntman work at all.
