I feel like whenever I do a movie, people think, 'Well, that's good, but that's probably the best he'll do.' I sort of bang and bang and kick in a door, and people say, 'Now a million doors will open for you.' And they don't.
I'd reached the point at West Brom where I'd play well, score goals, set up goals and nothing would come from it. I'd go home, come back the next day and everything would be the same. No reward, no response.
The whole 'serious artist' thing is very damaging. The powers that be will steer you towards your own demise. One thing I've learned is that it's not very glamourous, and my problems are no different from anybody else's.
Sometimes you can do all the right things and not succeed. And that's a hard lesson of reality.
Whatever I did, there was always someone around who was better qualified. They just didn't bother to do it.
Before 'Whiplash,' I'd had a string of failed scripts. I'd pour my blood, sweat and tears into them, and no one would like them.
Sometimes I get all the credit, and it makes me feel bad because I'm not the only one out here sacrificing everything. There are people out here on the road with me with kids and families, and they're out here busting their backs for me.
When someone gets a success, and we, too, have done good work and sometimes even better work than the person who has just triumphed, we wonder: 'Why did success pass me by?'
I have never been accepted. I'll never make the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They're never going to let me in.
I studied really hard. But Hollywood never appreciated my talent.
All I've ever ended up with in terms of achievements is the movie, some really stupid anecdotes, a bunch of crosswords that I didn't finish and maybe some old bicycle that I found lying around on set.
I have cleared the eyeball test and still haven't gotten my just due. That drives me to become more and more successful because of the lack of everything they have been giving me.
All your youth you want to have your greatness taken for granted; when you find it taken for granted, you are unnerved.
It's 5 P.M. at the office. Working fast, you've finished your tasks for the day and want to go home. But none of your colleagues have left yet, so you stay another hour or two, surfing the Web and reading your e-mails again, so you don't come off as a slacker. It's an unfortunate reality that efficiency often goes unrewarded in the workplace.
There are days where you do everything right and nothing goes in your favour.
A lot of time, you play well and you do good work, but you are not on a good team, so it really doesn't mean anything.
But my problem was that I did an hour for Comedy Central and nobody seemed to care.
