[about being a child star:] "My childhood success came and went real fast. Between 12 and 16, I grew as much as I was going to, anyway and no longer looked the same. Like most child actors, I found it a difficult adjustment. Still, I`ve done so many things that I wasn`t associated with one thing. I`m an actor, not a celebrity. When recognition became an issue a few years ago, part of me felt undeserving. Desperate to maintain my popularity, I was performing all the time. Then, I caught a glimpse of myself at the MTV Music Awards dressed in leather, grasping for jokes and set about changing my habits. Now that I`ve stopped trying so hard, I`m more comfortable in my skin."
There are two kinds of people in this world: Michael Jackson fans and losers.
(on improvising dialogue as Scott Evil in scenes with Mike Myers in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery) "Dr. Evil`s whole shhh! thing was made up on the spot. It`s a testament to Mike Myers` brilliance. They just keep going after the written scene is over, and fucking magic happens."
[on improvising:] "Three movies with Mike Myers certainly loosened me up. He told me that there`s a switch in your brain that censors you, makes you second- guess. You have to turn it off, shut out the fear of being embarrassed and making a mistake. Being a good improvisational actor is all about being in the scene, getting out of your head. Conan O`Brien is my favorite interviewer because he pays attention and has no game plan."
[on his character Lyle in The Italian Job (2003) (who speaks a lot of technical jargon:] "I don`t believe in e-mail. I rarely use a cell phone and I don`t have a fax. But part of the reason I got this job is that I`m good at making complicated technical terms sound normal. It sounds obnoxious, but I compare it to doing Shakespeare. You just figure out the emotional content of the line and go with that. It doesn`t matter what you`re saying if you come from an honest place. Though most people don`t know half the words, you don`t have to dumb down. I hate when they show a policeman saying "I`ve got a 3-U at Baker Street breaking and entering." No one talks like that."
[of his character Lyle in The Italian Job (2003):] "There`s no greater way to gain an audience`s sympathy than by being unfortunate. My main goal was to not make him this mono-dimensional computer guy. There had to be a reason this guy could hang with this tough crew. I didn`t want him to be dorky, but a little unfortunate and a little embittered, the kind of guy who has this massive motorcycle he can`t even ride."
[on playing the character Oz in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (1997):] "The script that wooed me was for the episode where I first turn into a werewolf. Before I signed, Joss said, `Read this. This is what we`re thinking.` It had all this metaphorical stuff and gave strong shades to the character. I said, `Yeah, I want to be a part of this.`"
Doing something because it`s quote-unquote a good career move doesn`t really appeal to me. There`s never a surefire good career move except doing good work.
God is, to me, pretty much an idea. God is, to me, pretty much a myth created over time to deny the idea that we`re all responsible for our own actions.
[of being famous:] "It`s a period of adjustment. I`ve gotten a lot better at it. After working for 18 years, all of a sudden I became successful on a level where other people knew it. It`s not a cat you can put back in the bag."
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