Joel McHale Quotes

Every interview I do, it's basically 'how did he do it,' and I owe it all to my representation, and my manager is basically like my mother, she's so picky.

You can't manufacture a career as an actor because you aren't in control of what projects come to you, unless you are No. 1, two, three or four in the world.

Hmm, limelight... No, I'm not Sienna Miller or Angelina Jolie. I'm very lucky and happy, but I still find it very difficult to get good scripts and good roles. It's really a jungle out there.

I should have been trying to build a career, rather than leaving it in the hands of somebody else.

Of course I wanted an agent from the time I was like 5, but my mother was like, 'No, you're going to be normal, you're going to go to school, you're going to get good grades, you're going to play soccer, and if you do well, if you keep your grades up, you can do one community-theater show a year.'

Yet the reality is that I'm a stage actor from the Midwest - probably the opposite of a shark agent.

In this industry, very few actors can control their career.

I speak to my agent about great roles, and he's like, 'They are all going to Will Smith.'

I met my agent when I was 10 years old on a family skiing vacation. He asked if I was interested in acting, and I had been doing school plays. A couple of years later, I called him up, and I started auditioning.

Dynasty was the opportunity to take charge of my career rather than waiting around like a library book waiting to be loaned out.

I know how difficult it is for actors to get work, because I did casting for all those years.

I never think of myself as a big star. Getting good scripts is all I think about. I don't have a godfather or anyone to take care of me. To move forward, I have to be very careful in choosing the right scripts, the right director, and the right technicians.

I concentrate on acting while my dad handles the business side of my career.

I did audition a lot. One's agent is keen to get you into film and TV because there's more money. I was always getting myself into commitments to theatre companies.

I came to London. I spent nine months doing domestic work and gardening because I knew I wanted to get a West End show. So, when I was offered jobs in Stoke or Leicester or whatever, I'd say no. Eventually, I got 'Godspell.' It was gently building.

It can be difficult to get cast as something that is off-center from you, and my biggest fear is to be typecast.

My agent and I are very clear on what kind of roles I'm interested in, and I don't want to perpetuate any stereotypes.

Honestly, the thing that I have found to be most useful over a long career, or maintaining a long career, is taking back the power at some point and self-producing.

My agents and my managers are very good at whittling things down to the things they think I would be good at and that I'd respond well to, and that includes theater, TV and film. Whatever it is, if the material is right for me, then I'll go for it.

Don't leave your job without getting an acting offer. Very few people in the industry are lucky to get a film without much struggle and be successful.

I don't want to get typecast and I've been doing a lot of stuff to make that happen and not be the case.

I was not one of those children hanging on Ma's coat-tails following her round sets. I'd go to the theatre after school if she was working, but I didn't even know what an agent was.

As a player you need to make whatever decision you think is best for your career.

As an actor, I want to build a career as an actor. It's hard to even get a job sometimes, so as my career builds, I can be more picky than I used to be.

I have an agent and everything. I audition occasionally.