Ian Anthony Dale Quotes

I was a big fan of 'Star Trek.' But then again, you know, 'Star Trek', 'Star Wars', 'Doctor Who', I wasn't a big fan, but you know, when they ask you and they cast you and it drops in your lap, how can you say no to these franchises.

I can't tell you how good it is to go from 'Homeland' to be lucky enough to find 'The Blacklist' at the right time. It literally came at the very end of pilot season when I thought there was nothing left.

I was on the cusp - or thought I was on the cusp - of celebrity, the result of starring as an adorable curly-haired alien in the miniseries 'V' on NBC. 'V' was a hit, and then got green-lit as a series. During the hiatus, the only job I auditioned for that fit my schedule was 'Nightmare on Elm Street.' That's the real reason I said yes.

I got to do a whole slew of TV movies playing the bad guy, including an episode of Smallville. That would never have happened if I hadn't done the Stand.

I had to say no to 'Fantasy Island' back when I was doing 'Bosom Buddies.'

I can get a better role in TV and work more constantly than I can waiting around for my friends in Canada to call me every four years - which they do - and I go up there and play a leading role.

I was on a well-beaten path of actors - what we all call 'the Law and Order route'. I spent two years of auditioning for everything... and then 'The Wire' came up.

I would love to do films. It's just the way things happened for me - I ended up doing a lot of TV.

Television has been really good to me in terms of the roles I've been able to get on TV as opposed to the roles I've gotten in film and in theater.

There were so many lead roles available when I was in my thirties. Once I hit 45, there was a real downturn. But I got an incredibly provocative, delicious lead role in a television series called 'Saving Grace,' and I loved the character.

I like movies because I've been getting leads, and TV is more about ensemble casts.

It's been a pretty amazing experience, getting to go from 'Bosch' to 'The Vampire Diaries' back-to-back, with a little 'Castle' in between.

J.J. Abrams wanted me to do a part in Lost and we probably had three meetings, and I finally turned it down, but it wasn't because I didn't like television or Lost, although I think I said to J.J., "I don't want to be in Hawaii and have an insurance person tell me I'm not allowed to go free dive and spear fishing." That would be the worst kind of torture in the world. But I don't hate television.

There are tons of different reasons why you do TV series and why you don't, and how it'll affect your career, and all that. Without a doubt, it has always come down to the script for me. I'm an actor who wants to do great parts, and I've been very fortunate, for a long time, to get meaty roles.

I got offered big roles after 'Badhaai Ho' but if the film hadn't worked, I wouldn't have gotten. It's business, nobody is emotional about it.

I've done soap operas in New York, playing a continuing character who goes through changes and develops, but none of that has created the enduring interest that 'Twin Peaks' has.

A newcomer needs to be careful as to what kind of role they choose. If you choose something different, you will end up getting typecast. That's why I chose to play a character my age, to keep my options open for the future.

I have been very fortunate that the Punjabi audience connected with me so well. Otherwise female actors are not repeated much in this industry.

Younger audiences are into me because I did 'Stuart Little,' and that movie was a very big deal for kids. And in 'Angels in the Outfield,' a generation of kids learned about magic and angels. And then, of course, there are these two blond girls named Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and I played their nanny on their TV show.

I'd love my own show, but I'm really happy to be on 'Pretty Little Liars.'

If a show comes and the content is great, I would never say no to acting on TV.

I can't afford to wait for big films. So I take up small films as they provide maximum exposure.

I thought I was going to stay at City, but when a team like Lyon comes in for you, I think I'd have regretted it if I had said no to them. Not just because of making finals, but because of the players I get to play with every single day.

I was tired of the same saas-bahu family dramas that I was being offered, so I took a long break.

'EastEnders' changed everything. I was a jobbing actress living in Stepney, and I was on the dole at one point. Then people started to send me scripts, which was always my dream.