My very first acting role was Tiny Tim in 'A Christmas Carol.'
Estelle Getty used the language of a truck driver, or a sailor. Bea Arthur didn't wear shoes. Bea Arthur was a comic genius. Her timing was extraordinary.
My very first role was with James Earl Jones on 'Gabriel's Fire' on TV. He drove a Chevy Citation, which is the exact same car that I bought from a guy in San Francisco called Sandy Boone. I showed up on set, and James Earl Jones was driving the car I had bought from Sandy for $250.
I was working out at a gym in Montreal when I was doing 'The Bone Collector.' I walked in and said 'Where do I sign in?' Somebody behind me, without even seeing my face, said 'Excuse me, are you on 'Star Trek'?' They recognized me from my voice.
It's the thing they don't teach you in film school - what happens after you finish your movie.
Some of the big movies, you get checks for a long, long time.
