The most frightening thing about playing Dick Gregory is I've never done stand-up before, and I had to learn how to be a stand-up comedian, which was a bit of a challenge.
— Joe Morton
I have lots of hopes for black actors in general, whether they be on TV or on stage or in movies, and that is that we move beyond the tokenism of what it means to be black in a particular set of circumstances.
With any villain, you have to see things from their point of view and understand that they think what they're doing will make the world a better place.
When it comes to certain portions of our history, we've just forgotten it all.
Part of the decision I made was to move very fluidly from one medium to the other, and so it has stayed as part of who I am. I don't know if I have a preference.
I don't know of any actor in any television show that I have ever seen who's given monologue after monologue in a television series.
In my opinion, it would be a lot better for the culture - meaning the culture of America - if there was more diversity in terms of storyline. In terms of the kind of content that you see about Americans of African descent on the screen.
The more you know about the world, the more resources you have in terms of things that can inform your character or the circumstances that surround your character.
I think the greatest lesson that power has to teach us is, once you've had it, once you are a part of it, you're never free.
I think it's true for all of us, if you find yourself doing really well at something, then the pressure is on you to try to improve.
If you've been on top of the food chain in the Armed Forces, that's who you are. You're used to dealing with your life in a particular way.
When I started, black people were either victims or they were the perpetrators; they were the boogie men who jumped out of the bushes and did terrible things to you.
I've played good guys for most of my career, and when I came out to California, I thought, 'I really would like to find some wonderfully intelligent bad guy to play.'
Dick Gregory will be greatly missed. Humbly, and in his stead, 'Turn Me Loose' carries on to be his voice and his inspiration for all who wish to laugh at the absurdity of racism and be enlightened by his spirit of justice.
I don't watch a lot of television, which sounds strange for someone who works in TV.
We live in a world where racism hasn't changed at all. It's that old thing of, you know, the more things change, the more things remain the same.
I think every villain basically thinks that he or she is doing something to make his world, or the world in general, a better place.
Without mentioning any names, there was a film that was being done, and I ran into the producer on the plane. It was a book that I really, really loved, and I said, 'I'd love to be a part of this.' And they made it clear that that was not going to be possible - for no particular reason other than that there was just no part for a black person.
Being back on stage in New York, off-Broadway - I mean, that's an actor's dream.
If we're still talking about the same thing 40 or 50 years later, then that means we're not doing anything about it.
Republicans in the South... are trying to find ways, not so much to block black and brown people from voting, but to block black and brown people from getting people they want elected, which is a far more subtle thing to do.
Television has been really good to me in terms of the roles I've been able to get on TV as opposed to the roles I've gotten in film and in theater.
I think theater is the strongest place to find what's missing in entertainment. Unfortunately, it pays the least.
The argument for '12 Years a Slave' was that - yes, it's a beautiful film. Beautifully shot, beautifully acted. It's a real story, and these stories should be told. The problem is, if they're the only stories being told, then it makes Americans of African descent - it puts them into that victim category. And that was my problem with the movie.
There's nothing better than an educated actor - not only educated in his craft but educated in the world.
My father was in the service. His job was to integrate the Armed Forces overseas. So that meant we showed up at military bases in Okinawa or Germany, racially unannounced. That made me, in that particular society if you will, the outsider.
To work for Shonda Rhimes is heaven. It's been amazing.
One of the beauties of working in Shondaland is that they make an effort to get to know who you are, so they're not giving you something that's going to be so far out of your comfort zone.
I think the responsibility that any actor has is to bring some truth to the work.
My whole career has been a landmark. So I don't think about the pressure too much. I just go out and do, because I believe in it.
Dick Gregory used every syllable, every metaphor, every joke, every march, every incarceration, every hour of his life, to embarrass this country into providing a more perfect, perfect union.
For all of the diversity in 'Scandal,' no one else would be sitting in a room wearing a T-shirt and chains and call a Southern white Republican president a 'boy.' And it's those kinds of things that Rowan has the freedom to say that nobody else could say within the confines of the show.
In the case of Papa Pope, certainly he's making his daughter's world and the world of the republic a much better place.
I don't think you can play a villain with a negative point of view.
You don't have the opportunity to win an Emmy unless you're given the opportunity to play certain kinds of roles.
It's important to know, whether you're pro or anti the current president and what he's doing, that he's doing what he thinks is for the betterment of the country because his interest is to make this country a better place.
My tendency is to be quiet and to stay focused and in character. Not the entire time, but certainly to stay focused while I'm on set.
Because of 'Terminator 2,' you get not pigeonholed but circled as one of those guys who can understand their way through a movie like that and hold it down.
I started off at Hofstra University in Hempstead, Long Island, and started doing theater in Manhattan in 1969.
When I first saw Dick Gregory on television, growing up in Queens, it was startling and amazing, because nobody else was doing what he was doing.
If you can keep a character fresh and alive for, let's say, six months, working eight nights a week, then you can do anything. You have honed your technique and your skills to such a degree by that point that you are ready to take on all kinds of challenges.
I think many villains have the burden of not being very human.
'Turn Me Loose' was Off-Broadway, and now we are making a concerted effort to figure out how to get it to on Broadway.
When you give your children certain life lessons, and they come and ask you for additional advice, you say to yourself, 'I've done my job,' and you'll continue to do your job.
Most of my career I purposely spent doing good guys.
Accolades are there to congratulate you but also to make you understand that it's not over. You now have to continue trying to improve the craft and keep going. It's not something to rest on.
We've all grown up with 'Ozzie and Harriet,' 'Father Knows Best,' 'Eight Is Enough.' White families have always represented the universal family.
I think it might be interesting to give an Emmy to an outstanding background performance in either a comedy or drama series.
My father was in the military; he was a captain. His service was to quote-unquote integrate the Armed Forces overseas.
'Breaking Bad' - when I started watching that show, I thought it was terrific. I love the way it was shot. I love the writing. I love the arc of Bryan Cranston's character. I just thought that was just really, really a wonderful, wonderful show.
