Quotes

Appearing in adult movies was the most difficult thing I've ever done on camera. You always hear the cliché that actors hate the love scenes because they find them uncomfortable and embarrassing. I totally agree with them but in the case of porn stars, not only do you have to do a love scene with a stranger but real intercourse has to take place as well. And for a man, there is never any guarantee that your body will react accordingly on command on a movie set. I've seen other people and I've been myself in humiliating instances where you just can't perform because you're too tense or nervous and this is the part of the process I won't miss at all.

I really feel like Oprah Winfrey is the queen of Showbiz, seriously. Not only is she one of the richest and most successful woman in television history not to mention one of the biggest star on the planet but she is also one of the most generous, doing endless humanitarian and charity work. The power she has to reach and touch people is amazing. This is what a true star is to me.

If you try to make it in this business for either fame and/or money, you will become disillusioned very quickly. Most people work their whole lives without ever getting their big break and yet they couldn't possibly stop or do anything else. They feel so strongly about their art that they're willing to sacrifice everything to it even if it means never getting their dues. If I had done it only to make a quick buck or become a celebrity, I would have stopped a long time ago. You have to consider the work as its own reward.

I remember when I told my parents I was giving up music, they were supportive but rather disappointed that I didn't feel the need to pursue it at the time. Yet all those years later, music found me again and they couldn't be more thrilled. My mother especially has this very strong artistic side and she was the one who assured me I had a good singing voice and that with work I could make it.

I had this weird thing happen to me when I reached thirty. Suddenly, I began to feel time accelerating in my own mind making the days seem much shorter than they seemed to be in my twenties. It really freaked me out because it happened so suddenly whereas most people experience this gradually. I actually felt the hours speeding up and it was hard to let go of that new fear. I got over it as we all have to and now try to use this to motivate me to never waste a single second whenever I feel lazy.

Directing a movie is a very gratifying yet painful process to me. This is your vision and you're responsible for every single aspect of it. I was terrified at first because I had been so comfortable in the role of actor worrying only about my own performance. And I found it very difficult to let go of certain aspects because I have this tendency to want to redo everything all the time. Part of the job is to actually know when to let go and stop tweaking because no matter what you do as a director, you're never completely satisfied.

I have attended films in movie theaters only about 6 or 7 times in my life. I love the big screen but I just can't stand all the hassle that comes with the movie house experience like people talking, endless previews and annoying ads. And also, to actually sit still for two hours to watch a screen without being able to move is something very difficult for me.

I love the camera more than anything. It is such a powerful tool and makes everything immortal by freezing slices of eternity. And strangely enough, I somehow feel less alive when I don't have one pointed at me.

I felt like a freak all my life. When I was younger, it was a very negative thing and I was bullied endlessly at school. But as I grew older, I started to feel very comfortable with being very different from the norm and now I couldn't possibly be anything else. In a way, to become a star you have to be a freak.

I used to do a lot of theater and it taught me everything I know about acting but for me, stage work is never as satisfying as appearing in front of a camera. I really feel sad when I think about all those great live performances from such luminaries as Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Tallulah Bankhead and Noël Coward lost forever. Thank God they did movies as well. I understand why an actor would prefer the stage since he is in complete control of his performance and can portray the character all the way through with the audience's immediate reaction as his fuel unlike cinema which is never shot in continuity. But it really bothers me that a stage performance exists only during the brief time it is performed and is only seen by a handful of people.