Gaby Hoffmann Quotes

There's no particular role that comes to mind that I'd like to take on, but for me, it's about playing interesting characters and not just two-dimensional ones.

These people I play are not usually wish-fulfillment characters.

Every character I approach, from 'Forrest Gump' all the way up to 'The Spoils Before Dying,' has a different set of requirements and always fascinates me.

It's better to play negative lead roles than portray just any other character on the show.

Every role is challenging in its own way, but the most challenging roles are the ones that are badly written - then it's completely up to you to come up with something that is interesting to the story and myself as an actor.

I'm not looking to do 'Half Nelson' next, but to play anything that's a little more complex is really fun.

I've played a lot of really smarmy people in film, and it can be real fun, don't get me wrong. But it can be characters I'm not as excited to explore.

I would say that a lot of the characters I've been attracted to are very vulnerable and they expose themselves emotionally. Not so much in 'The Fighter,' not so much in 'The Master' - I think those are different.

Even when I'm reading a script where I'm supposed to be looking at the lead role, I'll find myself gravitating toward some small weirdo in a few scenes instead. I'm very instinctive like that and I love the challenge of not having a lot of time to create someone who feels real.

If the entire script feels formulaic, then you know that the film will be like that. But if it's a really interesting script, and the character happens to be formulaic, then maybe there's a way of making them more interesting.

When my career started on daytime soaps, those characters usually didn't have much depth to them. The main goal was to memorize my lines in order to film efficiently the next day. But with 'Jane The Virgin,' the writing is strong, and everything is intentional.

I want to play real characters rather than young leads in very plotty things. I want variety.

For me, it's first about the characters. I look for a character who is intriguing and challenging and different from what I've done before.

I really enjoy playing intelligent characters. I'm more interested in that than just emotional kind of Mum characters.

It's only over time that you get to exploring or adding nuances to the character. Like my part in 'Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara' - I am so not the person who wears high heels and totters about like a poodle.

We are trying to push the envelope with a lot of characters in 'Brothers.' We are going out of the way and being honest to our roles.

It's always fun to layer a character, to make the character a little bit more dynamic than it is on paper.

Be it TV, films, or stage, I love substantial roles. The length of the character doesn't matter, but if the character is well thought, then I have to grab it.

As an actor, I like as much time with the material as possible and given the opportunity, time spent with the other actors in the scene. But that is a rare luxury in working in any TV series.

I never really thought about what characters I play. I always just wanted different characters.

Look at the Coen brothers. All their minor characters are as interesting as their protagonists. If the smaller characters are well-written, the whole world of the film becomes enriched. It's not the size of the thing, but the detail.

I've had some marvelous parts, but I'm also asked to play characters who are kind of superficial people.

I feel I should never do passive characters. They don't work for me.

Maybe I'm more drawn to those kind of parts because they are meaningful to me. I mean, more parent-y ones, I find them interesting to do.

As actors, we want to choose somebody who has conflicts. I can't be always playing the girl next door. What's the challenge in that?