For some reason, I always get offered plays when I'm doing plays and then, if I stop doing them, people stop asking me.
If a filmmaker is making a movie about a nice Midwestern family or a story that needs a very white character or a black or a Chinese, then I don't expect to go up for it. But I know, especially in places like New York, there's no excuse not to see various colors.
Until 45 I can play a woman in love. After 55 I can play grandmothers. But between those ten years, it is difficult for an actress.
I usually decide if I'm going to do a movie based on if I like the script or not. I thought 'Pulling Strings' had every single element that a classic romantic comedy needs to be a success. It's very well written. The cast was amazing. It was a decision I made based on the power of the script.
We did a black 'Julius Caesar' in which the predominant accent was Caribbean. This offends many people, you know. I also had a Chinese Marc Anthony. I also managed - this caused a great shock - I also got some white guys in it as well!
I would love to direct a movie, something I really like with a great cast. What a dream!
Every time you do a take on a movie, you're not sure if it's going to succeed. Even if you have a great cast, like we had, every scene you're kind of waiting for the release. 'Oh, yes; it happened. We got it!' There's always the possibility that it's just not going to work.
Television allowed me to kick the Hollywood habit of typing an actor in certain roles.
I've said maybe too many times that I'd rather be typecast than not cast at all.
I love Jet Li, but he looks very Chinese, and his English is Chinese-accented. He wouldn't have been the right guy to play a Japanese-American.
I never write with an actor in mind - never.
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.
I also have a film coming up called Breaking Up, and my part in that was not written for a Latina, and my character is not particularly pretty or sexy or exotic.
I think I just never wanted to be the creepy guy where people say, 'Why do his leading ladies keep getting younger and younger, and why do they think he's so hot even though we know that the girl who's playing this part actually has a handsome boyfriend?'
I just pick the best roles that are left over, and they usually aren't the heterosexual, leading-man, non-drug-addict parts. And once you get into doing them, people know you do them.
I was afraid that I'd be typecast as the token firang. That happened initially. Now, I am acting in 'Noises Off' and 'Menagerie,' where all of us are playing British and American characters. That makes me feel better.
The difference between a beautifully made failure and a beautifully made hit is who you've got playing the leads.
Even if my movies weren't big blockbusters, directors generally liked me, so they would fight for me.
I'm a little concerned I'm always going to be playing a black guy, you know what I'm saying?
It's funny, because I've never thought of myself as a Hispanic actor, like in 'American Gangster,' I'm playing an Italian. I've always been fortunate enough to have been allowed to play all these diverse roles.
When you have two people that good in a movie, I think it adds a class and a feeling of importance for other actors that they want to be involved.
I've always been short and stocky. So when I got into repertory theatre after graduation, I found myself doing character roles: because of my deep voice, shape and height, I was playing 40-year-old, 50-year-old roles at the age of 23.
I don't want to put on any gimmicky layers just to give the character more definition. I just want to play good characters. It doesn't matter to me if it's 'open ethnicity' or 'specifically Asian.'
I've acted with shorter heroes, and no one has objected.
I'm not a big person, so every time they were adding these big guys to the cast, I said to my trainer, 'We're screwed, dude.' I'm only five foot five, and I'm going to look so little.
