Quotes

Well, for one reason or another I felt it was necessary to keep making money in the business. I've done over 350 episodics, in either feature or starring roles, and 34 films. I felt at the time I had to do that, because I had a family. I had the choice of falling back on selling cars or whatever -- nothing against car salesmen -- or purposefully taking on the lion. Walking right into the den and saying "Here I am, and you're going to have to deal with me." And that's what I did. Was I a successful father? Maybe not. Was I a successful husband? Probably not. Was I a successful actor? Probably not.

When I went to school - Pasadena Playhouse - we were taught that the obligation of the actor is twofold: to entertain and to educate. We don't educate. So I've taken that onto myself. Now am I a good educator? I don't know. If someone latches onto a concept of mine, then I've taught well; otherwise, I'll have to rethink my stand on things. But in a country where individualism is supreme and synonymous with being an American, it's all vanished - it's all gone now. You go to college, and you know what you learn in college? How to work for somebody else. I teach an acting class for teenagers in the summer - I have for the past fourteen years. I don't encourage them to go to college: you want to be an actor? Be an actor. If you have to starve to do it, starve to do it. But if you're not passionate about what you want to do, you won't be good at it.

We shot the film [Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told (1967)] in eleven or twelve days, something crazy like that. And for the first two days, I was almost hiding from him. Not that I was afraid of him but I just didn't know what you say to someone like Lon Chaney Jr.. And at one point, Jack said "We're ready, where's Chaney? Sid, go get him, okay?" So I went over and I knocked on his trailer door and I said "Mr. Chaney, they're ready for you." And he said "No, stop that. I'm not Mr. Chaney, okay? I'm Lon, you're Sid, we're working together. Let's just keep it at that, okay?" And so it kind of put me at ease and made talking to him and hanging around him a little easier to do.

[on why he retired on account of getting typecast] I just didn't want to play stupid heavies anymore. They just kept giving me the same parts but just putting different clothes on me. It was stupid and I resented it, and I wouldn't have anything to do with it.