Matthew Lillard Quotes

I'm labeled a comedic actor, which is awesome. But I love getting the occasional dramatic role, too. Some of your best dramatic actors are ultimately comedians.

As an actor, you don't become Meryl Streep by doing the same type of comedy. You get there by being challenged.

I'm at least getting my foot in the door as far as doing straight dramatic parts, which no one would have ever considered me for in the '80s. I never objected to that because I love doing comedy, and I'm not the kind of actor that insists that unless you're doing a serious dramatic role, you're not acting.

Marlon Brando changed everything for actors. After him, everyone wanted to be Marlon. No one wanted to be a type: they all wanted to display versatility in every role.

As an actor, it's up to you to show that you can do something else. For me, the interesting actors don't always go where you expect to find them.

I love the opportunity to use my full range, and so playing in the comedy 'Black-ish' gives me the opportunity to show my lighter side, and playing in this beautiful, elegant horror story of 'Hannibal,' I get to use my darker and more cerebral side. It's really wonderful.

I want to do more roles that require a large level of preparation and that are completely different from who I am.

I'm not going to play someone too far from who I am. Although I did a movie where I played a killer, and that has yet to come out. But that's someone I love being able to shock people with. I could do something you would not expect me to do. My limitations are - I'm not Meryl Streep. I'm not playing anything in a foreign language, or anything too far from who I am.

I'm very fortunate that I get asked to do very different kinds of roles and I realize how much I enjoy that. I enjoy the challenge of transformation. There are actors who play one character, or a certain kind of character, the whole of their lives. I really relish the opportunity to have the challenge to totally transform.

I like playing the contrasting roles. It what inspires me to act. If I look back on my career I am happy that I have gotten to play a wide variety of different roles, from Mike Dexter, to Van Ray in Fast Lane, to Dr. Cullen to Coop.

I'm only really interested in taking a part if it's nothing like me.

I'd rather play a character that was really, really different to me as to someone who is quite close to my character.

My dream as an actor growing up was always to challenge myself to different genres, different roles, and it's actually rare that an actor's given that opportunity to do that.

I want to play everything. I want to be like Christian Bale: I want to be able to be Batman and then, like, his character in 'The Fighter.' That is what is so impressive about really good actors, that they can be character actors and leading men at the same time.

I love doing kind of more kiddish-oriented movies, but I also love doing adult things. And I think it's fun to do a mix.

I find that comedy is my specialty, but drama is slowly starting to move up in that rank. I've always liked playing a character that has depth and that I'm able to bring my own niche to.

Most actors will tell you that villains are the most interesting to play.

I think it's every actor's dream to play a character that's really odd, and you know no one wants to play himself.

There are lots of great actresses who are great because they'll do anything.

The great amount of fun that I have is I can cast dramatic actors to play comedic roles, and I can cast comedic actors to play dramatic roles because, really, there's no such thing. There's just actors.

I've been really fortunate to do so many comedies and then so many dramatic roles and then television and movies and stuff like that.

I'm not interested in parts where they are looking for a good-looking guy. I want to be a weird little sidekick in a crazy comedy and then play like a dark drama or a thriller.

I won't complain, but I don't want to just be doing action films and extended character transformations, you know? I want to explore, and I'm up for anything. Honestly, I just want to read a good script and fall in love.

Sometimes you can take those dramatic roles and maybe interject a little humor into them, and I think the reverse also works.

I'd like to do something dramatic or a different kind of role, but I tend not to separate comedy and drama all that much.