I have never been stereotyped in one kind of character. I have been a part of reality shows, events, singing and dancing. No one has ever told me, 'She will fit only in this character or this look.' It has never happened to me, luckily.
It's nice just to be able to go out and, basically, be able to play other types of music and not have any pressure to almost explain it and justify why you did. I just do it because I like to have some fun.
When I play at my best is when I play with the least amount of inhibition, when I think less.
With 'Friday Night Lights,' we were encouraged to make it our own and improvise as much as we wanted.
The way I play, I like to be free.
Frank liked me because I went nuts on the piano using feet, head, whatever I could find to bang on the piano.
I could release myself into acting in a way that I was not released socially.
I think what people respond to, and what they're responding to so strongly, is I'm very myself on stage. What you see in person is very much who I am on stage.
I allow an area for improvisation because the chemical things actors bring to stories make it not work.
The performances that I love are ones like Gena Rowlands in 'A Woman Under the Influence,' where women are allowed to be messy and imperfect. It's that kind of woman that has always inspired me to seek roles that are a little out of the box. I just haven't always had the opportunity to do them.
The song of the blues, the song of the music, was something a lot of people missed out on. They thought they had to swagger a certain way or bark at the mic, and you don't have to do that.
I play purely from the heart, y'know, and so if it doesn't work the first couple of hours, forget it.
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.
I think in doing stand-up there are no rules and there's no architecture.
I always say that I'm at my best when there's no example of what the character is supposed to be. I thrive when there's not much and I have to create it.
A lot of actors would tell you that they'd rather play the villain than the hero. When you're the character, there are no repercussions. So there is a kind of liberating feeling about saying certain things to certain people - and I think that it's always quite satisfying to do that.
I think there's all these unknown things you can tap into when you just leave things open, and nothing is forbidden. Then you allow yourself to mold that thing that has been created by freedom and spontaneity and flexibility. That's why I avoid limiting performances of actors and characters.
I'm not the kind of singer that's always super, super careful.
The great songs just come out. If it comes quick, just leave it that way.
I really like doing stand-up, because it gives you an immense amount of freedom. You haven't got anyone telling you what to do. It's great to have that much power over what you do. You don't have that in television.
I don't like to hold too much formality in concerts. It's not that I don't like seeing people who are really polished and put together. But I'm more excited by things that are a little bit breaking apart as you're watching them.
When I'm acting, I like to think of myself as a non-actor, and a non-drummer when I'm drumming. It frees you up to not care how well you do.
I think people are always really surprised when they realise I'm not a very serious person and that I'm not tremendously serious about acting. I don't like to rehearse; I hate improv. Directors that don't like to talk, they're my favourite ones.
More of me comes out when I improvise.
The most important thing for me is to have as much control over what's going on in front of me as I possibly can, so because of that, I don't play to a click track, and I don't have anything on the grid. Everything is triggered by me. Everything is played by me. Everything is within my control.
