- Sarita (Sarita Choudhury) was the one that got away. She was amazing, really amazing. I loved Sarita. She was my pal.
- [On his role in Galaxy Quest (1999)]:That part is kind of an homage to Bill Paxton in Aliens (1986). I definitely stole some moves from my buddy [actor] Steve Zahn and Bill Murray's lounge singer character from "Saturday Night Live" (1975) is in there somewhere. Plus a little Michael Keaton in Night ShiftRichard Pryor. I get a lot from Richard Pryor actually. How agile he is, vulnerable. (1982) and definitely some
- I really believe that people like Bill Murray or John Belushi are just as great and just as valid as Robert De Niro or Al Pacino. And I don't think you can say One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) is a better movie than Animal House (1978); they're different genres. I think they're both examples of great craftsmanship.
- I have a constant sort of melancholy approach to acting that fuels me. I want to do everything.
- [Recalling a period he went through when he was 18]: I watched Raging Bull (1980) like 50 times. I wanted to be Italian. For a year I was Italian; that's all I did. I could do all that New York street stuff to the point where I would get feedback from my auditions, "He's too New York, he's too urban" and I was from San Francisco, really.
- [On what he would do if he wasn't an actor]: I have no skills. There's absolutely nothing I know how to do. So I'd be fucked otherwise. I'm very fortunate to be an actor. I know I'm very lucky to be doing this. And though I'm not sure where I'm going to end up -- whether it's in major films, independents, or theater work -- I'm just happy getting to do roles that are really juicy, meaningful and allow me to keep adventuring the way I have been.
- [On his part in The Green Mile (1999)]: I guess Wild Bill is a disgusting, racist, pedophile freak. But I'd been wanting to play a psycho, a juicy one. I saw him as Huck Finn meets Satan. The kind of part Gary Oldman or John Malkovich might play. It's just a cool part.
- I've been in more than 20 movies. You just do the best you can and try to make a living. Whether it's The Green Mile (1999), Galaxy Quest (1999) or Lawn Dogs (1997). There's no difference, not for me.
- I want to be a character actor, but I also want to make some money.
- I think of myself as a journeyman actor. I've got some talent and I work hard, but people like Brando or Pacino-those people are touched by God.
- Money is power and power gives you choice.
- I've played so many hicks and country bumpkins. It's hilarious, because I've always lived in cities.
- [2002 Quote]: I'm originally from San Francisco. I might move there some day. But, I like LA, I have fun in LA. It's a fun town if you've got money in your pocket. It's a good town.
- [On why he was fired from G.I. Jane (1997)]: I gave them no alternative, because I didn't want to learn how to scuba dive. I wouldn't mind learning in the Bahamas, but I didn't want to learn at three o'clock in the morning.
- I feel a little strange all the time, a little bit off-center. I never feel that people are as nutty as me.
- Safe Men (1998) was exhausting, although I had a great time on it. I have a special place in my heart for Safe Men. That was a true independent film, in a budget sense. There were no trailers. Steve [Steve Zahn] and I were hanging out. It was guerrilla filmmaking. But we had a blast. And such good actors. For such a low budget, we had top rate actors, Michael Lerner, Harvey Fierstein. Steve Zahn, by far, one of the best actors I have ever worked with. He is a truly gifted actor. Skilled. He comes from the stage, he's from ART (American Repertory Theater). He's a farm boy turned theater actor, turned film actor. He builds barns and hunts deer and drinks beer and drives a Chevy Nova. He's a man, he's a real man.
- I really want to work with Gary Oldman. I want to play his brother or something. Or have him direct me or I just want to get inside that guy's head, you know and I know, I just feel that I know the guy even though I don't know him. I feel like I know him. If he reads this, it's going to freak him out, he's gonna want to stay away from me, "Oh, Jees, this guy's a psycho!" I love his ballsiness. Whether you agree with his choices or not, the guy's got 'cajones' -- he's got balls. And you know, he goes for it. I just think he's great.
- [1999 Quote]: I'd like to be an action hero, but I don't think they'd ever make me that type of leading man. I'm too quirky. If they put me in Speed 3, two days later they'd go, "Yep, we're gonna have to fire him now. Can we get someone more mainstream?" I like to make weird choices. If you watch Paul Newman, or even Cary Grant, they weren't always thinking good things. Who knows what the hell Cary Grant was thinking? He could be smiling at a woman and having some really dirty, nasty thoughts. That's what made them interesting leading men.
- Stage is where it really happens for an actor because it makes full use of whatever you have to give.
- [1998 Quote]: I just see myself as a character actor. I'd like to be a star in the same way as Gary Oldman or John Malkovich are famous, who get to do character pieces and not act like movie stars.
- I've seen a lot of people change into double-glazed celebrities. Sudden fame is a really hard test of character. I wouldn't want to be Leonardo DiCaprio, much as I like him, because it can't be good for you at that age. I actually think that no-one should be allowed to be famous until they're 30.
- I do prefer theater. The whole process of film is just so tedious. You're there for 18 hours a day, there's so much idle time. You just burn out. Also, there isn't the camaraderie you get in the theater.
- I prefer film over TV. I don't prefer film over theater. With TV there's less time to shoot and everything is rushed. You have too many hands and cooks. There's the network and the producer and the writers. Too many people getting involved and stirring the mix. It doesn't make for good art.
- When I took acting classes and being drunk was the assigned impediment of the day, a lot of people would go out the night before and get drunk. That's not research! Research is going to bar... and drinking coffee.
- I did the odd bit of theater from the age of ten, but I spent most of my time doing the usual teenage things - you know, thinking I was black, trying to break dance and smoking a lot of dope.
- After a while, you stop thinking that the film you're in is going to be your big break. I mean, I was sure that the TV show I did in 1989 was going to make me.
- I worked in a lot of restaurants. Busing, mostly. I was a food runner. I was an extra on soap operas. An extra on commercials. Typical actor, huh? I delivered burritos by bicycle. All that stuff. My last real job was delivering food for this trendy restaurant. That sucked. Jobs suck! I hate jobs. This is better. I've got to remind myself, because I get bitchy sometimes. It could be a lot worse.
- God, I hate LA. It's an evil place. So uncreative. You can't walk anywhere, that's what really gets me. I lived there for eight months. It's something that you've really got to do when you're starting out. You join the scrum of pilot season. Even as an unknown, you can make the most phenomenal amount of money. But it's so awful. You go in to a room with 20 network executives, who are all holding popcorn and they watch your screen test in total silence. Not even a chuckle. It's all very businesslike.
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