John Cho Quotes

With young people, it's how brassy and flashy can you be. But you get a bit older, it's about how restrained can you be. You have to feel it all, think it all, but you don't have to play it - it's just gotta be there, and if the story's good and the script's good, people will see it.

I get paid to not laugh.

I've committed myself to perfecting the art of the straight man. I try really hard not to crack up.

I always go back to how people behave. If you watch how people actually behave in a situation, it's very simple and honest and contained. You don't need to use as much expression, as much feeling. Some characters will boil over, and that's another thing, but a lot of times I think you can just do very, very little.

If you play comedic scenes like they're really serious, then it's so much more funny than if you're going for a laugh.

The understatement is the English contribution to comedy.

I'm not cut out to be a detective on 'Law & Order' - I laugh too easily.

Actors must practice restraint, else think what might happen in a love scene.

When I say something funny, I don't laugh.

I've never been over-dramatic in my whole career.

I'm a really goofy person most of the time, and I have to sometimes temper my hyper self on set.

I laugh a lot, especially between shots, and it's tough for me to control. There have been so many instances where my director had to request me to stop laughing and come into the mood of the scene.

For me, a lot of the humor comes not from innocence but from characters trying to figure out how to get what they need. I don't try to be funny, but am relieved when an opportunity comes up for humor.

I let the comedy come through the character and just try to make sure that everything is kind of rounded in a truth, in a reality, because that's what I need to make a character work.

I try to hold my charisma in check.

You're not just looking for laughs, but you're trying to do the characters first, and then the laughs come afterwards.

Comedy's easy for me now - it's all about timing and the way you deliver lines. I use facial expressions to get the point across.

It's a very important skill set for an actor to be able to bring the humor into any moment, whether you're doing drama or comedy.

I did five episodes of Townies as Jenna Elfman's boyfriend. I was a guest star, but it was the first time I really got to play laughs in front of a sitcom audience.

The sign of a mature musician is knowing what not to play.

There's obviously some appeal in scenes for me - there's something I respond to. I keep doing those films where I put myself out there like that. I guess I look for those kinds of moments and I pride myself on being an actor who will do just about anything for a laugh - so long as it's within context of the scene in the movie and it's not gratuitous. I have to feel it'll make people laugh.

You can't be trying to be funny. As an adult actor, sometimes I'll muddle it up by over-thinking things.

I'm not always really calm, but I try not to get taken away by things that are incredibly transitory.

I have a very dry sense of humor.

I know I can never work in a comedy because I can't keep a goddamn straight face.