Quotes

I feel most uncomfortable in a western role, because my image of the western man is John Wayne and I'm just a little shit.

[on Sam Peckinpah] Sam has always believed, and I believe rightly, that he is there to make the film and that anyone who stands in his way is dead. They're in deep, deep trouble. And anyone who doesn't come up to snuff and do their job absolutely perfectly is in deep trouble with Sam.

Hopalong Cassidy and Ben Johnson have rubbed off on my life. That's about all I have to say.

[on Sam Peckinpah] I don't think he's a horrible maniac; it's just that he injures your innocence, and you get pissed off about it.

I don't intentionally set out to be a villain. I do what is given me to do and from there I evolve my attitude and comment. Heavies are closer to life than leading men. The heavy is everyman -- everyman when he faces a tough moment in life. It's the heavy that has to do with the meat of life.

I'm not angry because I'm not the leading man. Whatever they give me to do, I do. I don't want to be typed but I have learned a lesson in patience and resignation. If it's an anti-hero they want, I'm more than happy to oblige.

What I'm beginning to wonder about myself is, have I removed myself from society? Have I been away too long on all of my location trips? Do I read enough? Do I question enough? My reason for being an actor, like most any other actor, is to really nail something important down, to really find something to say in my work. And I tell myself that if I am sincere about my work, I should understand the time I live in.

I believe what Camus [Albert Camus] says. When the curtain rings down, your job is done. The responsibility is pitched to someone else as to what the meaning is of what you played. What you represent is always one aspect of a moral question.