The secret sauce of the business that I can offer is my creativity, and in order to keep my creativity alive and fresh, I have to pretend that no one is watching the show, that there are no audiences, there are no ratings; I'm just telling a story.
It was more freeing, mainly because he's so free anyway. He just is in his performance. So to mimic someone doing a free performance, well, that's pretty freeing within itself.
When it comes down to the music, it's just you and the microphone. It's not you and the record execs.
The great songs just come out. If it comes quick, just leave it that way.
Ridin' was natural, not forced. I didn't try to make a Grammy record.
They didn't really encourage my goofy, comedic side at Juilliard.
I just really need to sing and sing and sing and not worry about writing. Just by singing for pleasure, your voice takes you to what it wants to sing. And that is how the best stuff kind of emerges.
So often, when you're an actor, you're told what to do and what to say and what to wear. Your opinion is, at best, tolerated and, at worst, not wanted.
You gain a level of fearlessness performing when no one's there to see you.
That is the most liberating thing to feel as an actor: that you don't have to hold back or be afraid. A bit might not work, but it doesn't matter.
