Dylan McDermott Quotes

When I play a villain, I usually get home and sleep straight through the night. It's physically and emotionally draining.

I'm not the kind of actress that goes home with the character. I mean, you're thinking about the work or the next day's scenes, but not staying in character. But as a film goes on, you become more and more fragile, emotionally. And physically too, actually.

I usually can find a way to do a character to make it real and work. But sometimes it's a struggle sustaining that, because there's such a level of personal involvement and personal, physical, and emotional distraughtness.

I sort of fall in love with every character I do; you have to understand how they became what they've become, whether they're the ugly kind or the very beautiful kinds of characters.

When I act, a part of me goes into the character I am playing.

The actor becomes an emotional athlete. The process is painful - my personal life suffers.

Sometimes I get into the movies and into the roles; it's hard for me to move on.

I'm really not livable with when I'm rehearsing because I'm living the character.

I did 'Shameless' on Showtime, and I felt like I really tried to go super-method with that, and it would just make my days really hard to get in and out of character.

I'm affected by the characters I play, and sometimes they're hard to live with.

I find that I kind of have to sink into the character.

I remember when Heath Ledger talked about playing the Joker... I always used to look out of the side of my eye, going, 'Yeah, actors.' But there really is a darkness when you are playing someone psychotic - you have to go there mentally.

Acting is a psychological profession, and every character drains you emotionally, regardless of whether it is an intense art house movie or a light-hearted commercial series.

I think it's my job to like any character I play - to understand and appreciate a character, to look at the world as much as possible from their point of view. I don't look at it just technically: learn the lines, figure out what gestures I want to bring and play, and that's it. I like to learn as much as I can about the person, and see what happens.

Perhaps I'm being too optimistic, but I think this country is finally ready for a black serial killer.

Of course, when you work on a character, you try to understand her. You feel that everything she does has a reason.

Because as an actor, I really feel you cannot judge a character. You have to totally commit to that character. And for me to totally commit to the character, I have to find those places where I understand the sequence of behavior.

No doubt Jack the Ripper excused himself on the grounds that it was human nature.

It was hard not to feel violated [in Stone movie], 'cause I have to go home after walking in these shoes all day. It plays a number on your head. Some days I came home and was really upset; it was hard to see the baby [Jovovich's 2-year-old daughter].

If you take a little time and watch forensics, and see what men, sick-minded men do ... I don't know whether it's wise for women to feed the sickness that's in the man.

If you're playing Hitler, you don't play Hitler as an asshole. Hitler believed what he was doing was right. Any of those monsters and any serial killer believes in what they're doing. I play it subjectively.

I'm sure there's pieces of me in all the characters I play.

I always tend to like the characters that I play. I'm convinced that I am this person and I'm OK with whatever they do.

I hate the murderer, love him murdered.

I don't think there's a certain part of a character I take with me. There's a certain part of me I leave with each character, though.