Anything you write, even if you have to start over, is valuable. I let the story write itself through the characters.
I was very surprised that for a while I could only get cast as straight. It was that way for a few years.
The trend now is to shoot in Canada because it's cheaper, and they don't care what the location is.
With Animal Factory you'd think that because it's mostly interiors, you could shoot it anywhere. So we shot this in Philadelphia, and we had the cooperation of the prison system.
I usually get freaked out if I'm in a situation where a lot of people recognise me at once.
I could never have imagined the films I've done and the people I've worked with when I was starting out; I certainly did not have a career path.
I was really young, just playing with puppets a lot and doing all the voices and acting it out - normal kid stuff. But then I'd hear my mother talking about it to her relatives, marveling at it as if it was something unique. And it made me realize, 'Oh, maybe I do have a talent for something.'
I like character-driven stuff. It doesn't matter, the size of the part.
Every day's an adventure when I step out of my door. That's why I usually wear a hat and keep my head low.
I've never had a grand plan. I've only just tried to keep open to many different possibilities, have fun and work with people who are passionate about what they do.
I never know what I'm going to get. A 'Sopranos' fan is very different from a 'Big Lebowski' fan.
I didn't really like the aloneness of doing stand-up. The comedians by nature weren't very - I mean, they were sociable, but they hung out in cliques, and it's very hard to get accepted; lots of competition.
I'd say that the director I had most involvement with was Alex Rockwell in 'In the Soup'. It was one of my earliest leading roles, and he gave me a lot of responsibility as an actor.
When I get cast, I always flip to the end of the script to see if my character gets beaten up or killed.
I like the struggles that people have, people who are feeling like they don't fit into society, because I still sort of feel that way.
I had a magic kit. I never really followed through on it, but I had my phase of wanting to do it, sure.
I never did improv professionally, but that was certainly in my training as an actor. I like it.
I've always tried to have a healthy take on the characters I play; they are only characters I play.
I read the script and decide if a particular character looks fun to play. I look for complexity and a sense of humor. Those are crucial, real things to life.
I like telling stories about people with problems. I can't really put it much simpler than that.
