Role Quality Quotes

Throughout my career I've played a lot of parts that might've been played by a man. They're human roles rather than specifically men or women. I've never been as hooked into that as a lot of women are, you know, like, 'There aren't enough roles for women.' There aren't necessarily a lot of good roles for anybody.

What I love is a good role. In the theatre, there is just a canon of extraordinary roles, the quality of character is amazing, but I also love working in front of a camera. It was the first one for me; as a kid I was in front of a camera. I feel at home.

I enjoyed working at R.K.O. more than at M.G.M. At R.K.O., the parts were better!

I'm getting older, but better, too. And the roles are getting better.

I entered the acting world at a time when there was a higher demand for Middle Eastern actors in the post-9/11 world, and yeah, the roles weren't great.

Every time there's a really good story, there's women in it. We may not get as many roles, but the roles we get are really good, I think, for the most part.

A good part's a good part. You can play serious and funny moments with a well-written role.

I get better roles in television. I'm not going to do a lesser role just to be in a feature film.

I don't mind playing even a grandfather provided the role is good.

Bascially, I want to do movies wherein even the girl's character actually has a part. If you want me to do glamorous roles, that's fine. But you have to make sure the character is good.

You can do bad parts in good pictures or good parts in bad pictures and maybe get a little personal satisfaction. But the key to it all is good parts in good pictures.

I am sure that I don't want to take up stupid roles. And by stupid, I refer to those which doesn't have any sense. A role should have some life in it, right?

Let me just say, as I've gotten older, the parts have gotten better.

We're in crisis mode as black actresses. It's not only in the sheer number of roles that are offered and that are out there, but the quality of the roles. The quality - and therein lies the problem. We're in deprivation mode because me, Alfre and Phylicia, we're in the same category. Whereas if you take a Caucasian actress, you have the one who are the teens, in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s - they're all different. There are roles for each of them. But you only have two or three categories for black actresses.

I seek out parts which are strong women. It's not the quantity of a role; it's the quality of a role.

For me, quality of role is important, and if a role excites me, I do it.

The problem is if you play enough of parts in films that are sort of more financial products than anything or films in which the girl is a thankless, thoughtless, underwritten character along the way, you're no longer the person who had something fresh or vital to offer. I think it really does start to diminish some part of you, to put yourself through things you don't really want to be doing.

Basically, I would like to be considered for roles that are well-written. I think that part of the problem that we've had as actors is that they insist on looking at us as Latino actors and not as actors, period.

I can do very dramatic films, and at the same time, I can do a very meaningless movie, too, if I feel my role is good.

I've certainly had a bad attitude to my job on many occasions. Not since 'Four Weddings and a Funeral'. I've been rather a good boy and really given it everything when I've accepted a part since then, because I've been given much better parts in films.

Honestly, a lot of the time the character roles are the best roles.

As an actor, you want roles that are full of meat.

I'm not fussy about the medium I work in. I'll do television radio, you know. I have to, because that's the only way I can do continually good roles.