In the U.S., oddly, we have images of men as arrogant and aggressive.
— David Duchovny
I don't make decisions based on money.
When I grew up, I was in Manhattan the whole time. But my kids have been all over the world.
A lot of times passion projects or films are difficult to make because they don't have proven directors attached to them.
In high school and college, I was an athlete.
I'm not really a gamer.
I think the real heroic teachers are the ones who work with kids, like my mom and my sister do.
You become tyrannized by this notion that women must not only be treated equally, but they must never fail.
Whenever somebody says they need an angle for their story I always fear that they've got an idea and they want me to fit into it or they want me to come up with an idea myself or I'm supposed to be more revealing than I've been, and to me it just sounds like something I don't want to do.
Part of being an actor is letting things come about organically as opposed to forcing them.
There's nothing wrong with acknowledging the panoply of life's rich experience.
I'll instinctively know that I identify with a character.
The happiest moment of my life was probably when my daughter was born.
One of the great things about doing series television is the guest actors that you can have come on and play around with.
I like my computer. But I don't know how to use it as well as the 10-year-old daughter.
I may be learning guitar, but I'll never be able to sing.
I mean, you always want everybody to pat you on the back and tell you you're wonderful every time you do something; I think that's human nature.
I still feel like I haven't grown up.
I'm very proud of my Scottish blood.
Actually, I have an interest in finishing my Ph.D., but I just know I never will.
I really enjoy taking an outdoor shower.
I feel like I came to acting late in a way.
Games, by nature, have more plot options and non-linear qualities than TV and film.
I'm trying to protect what I advertise. That's my stance on any kind of self-expression.
If my work was good enough, I would never have to do publicity.
My favorite parts of work as an actor and a director are those unplanned mistakes that do happen, because it's like catching lightning in a bottle. It's the best part of what we do.
I've made so many mistakes. But it is my feeling that you learn from failures, so I welcome them as often as I can.
I think people are always trying to demystify whatever acting is, so they want to know what your method is.
Approaching a part or thinking about taking a part, I never think, 'Is that person like me?'
I think patience is a skill and I wish I had it.
People always love and respect characters who speak the truth, even if the truth hurts.
At one time there were voiceover artists, now there are celebrity voiceover artists. It's unfortunate because these people need the money less than the voiceover artist.
There are certain things I learned when I first started learning about acting, to try and place the character physically and emotionally. And the way you place them emotionally is often with humor.
Just like every show has a tone, every show has different people on it playing different games. I don't say 'game' in a pejorative sense, I just mean, these are different stories that we tell ourselves when we go to work.
I'm turning into a stricter dad.
I'm kind of stupid when it comes to gadgets.
I drive an electric car.
I was about 26 or 27 and it was imperative that I make a living right away and it's hard to make a living on stage, so I started in television and film.
I don't know how anybody gets better at anything aside from doing it.
I love the Lower East Side.
Most journalists expect me to answer all their questions about aliens and spaceships.
Maybe the best things about celebrity are the things like being able to get that seat on the plane that you wouldn't normally get, but that's kind of like cheating.
Every day I try to do breathing exercises, meditation, and yoga. These things sound awfully cliche, but they help me slow down and try to point to a truth.
You can't control your mind. Why would you want to?
I've turned down jobs because I've said, 'Honestly, I can't find my way in. I can't do it. I love you, as a director. I think the script is good. You deserve better than I think I can do.'
I just spend my money on the essentials. Just basically food and shelter.
What makes me mad is arrogance, pretension, putting on airs.
I think there are ways in which shows can pop their heads up a little bit in the morass of everything you can watch.
When I started getting notoriety it was cheesy to appear in a commercial.
I think of myself as more of a comic person. I don't know about a comic actor.
