I've never been the actor who did one job, and everyone went, 'Wow!'
— William Fichtner
Could you ever call me a 'leading man?' Not really. It's not that I don't want leading man roles, but there's only so many, and they want Tom Hanks, not me.
I'm an automotive fan. I love motor sports, and I love to watch motor sports. I love it all.
I'm a huge fan of actors, and I love when people find moments and a scene works. There's nothing more that I love than to go over to another actor and say, 'Yeah! You just rocked that one, baby!'
If I want to go to sleep, click on a procedural, put me right out.
Producers shoot movies where the tax incentives are.
I want to work every day. I don't work every day. When I finish something, people ask me, 'You gonna chill for a little while?' I'm like, 'No. I chill on Sunday afternoon.' I need to be engaged.
If anybody ever points out to me I'm chewing scenery, I certainly like to stop doing that.
Kim Coates is my best friend. I met Coatsy in 2001 in Morocco while working on 'Black Hawk Down.'
When I was younger, I never wanted to rehearse because I thought that someone would figure out I don't know what I'm doing. Now I like to really spend the time and figure it out, and rehearsal is to try something that doesn't work.
It's not that there aren't people who care creatively in the world of television, but there's always a bit more time in making a movie. I always feel films are more of a creative journey.
There's always a sense of playfulness in terms of what I do for a living.
I think that somewhere deep inside of me, I feel, if it's not something I believe in, then I probably won't be very good at it. And I have a fear of that. Not that I'm good in everything, but I try.
Saying, 'I'm going to hang up my hat today, and I'm retiring,' it's not a concept for me, and it never has been. I figure, when I'm 81, I'll play 81-year-old parts, hopefully.
The script for 'Drive Angry' is a great read with great characters and great action.
It's not like I wake up and think, 'Oh God, I have to go to the gym.' It's just pretty much a given. I do cardio, light weights, and a good stretch, and I always try to get to the pool for at least a 15-minute swim.
I have real strong feelings about our troops and support them.
I'm not funny ha-ha, but I look for real humour in just about everything I've ever played.
I don't like to watch dailies or video playback unless I have to.
What I truly get excited about is not the genre of a movie or the size of a part - it's character. I like to find characters.
When you work on a Jerry Bruckheimer film, you can be sure of two things: no production value will be spared, and the catering will be as fine as any really really good restaurant. Jerry is an amazing producer, with a commitment to his films second to none.
When I get home, I clean out the garage and play ball with my son. That's it.
I've always loved hot rods and going to drag races.
The process of making an independent film is like building a mini Eiffel Tower with popsicle sticks - it doesn't happen overnight, and it's not easy.
Oh, I'm a Mopar guy. There's no doubt about it.
If you can't get tax breaks, then there's no reason to film in a city or state.
I never say, 'I only want to do things like this,' I am not that sort of actor. I don't have that grand plan - some do, but I don't - I am really a character guy.
I do play nice guys. I really do.
I had a '69 Road Runner when I was a kid. I had it for 13 days, came home one day, and my parents were in the driveway. They said, 'Meet the new owner,' because they'd gotten phone calls about me burning rubber for the last 12 days. They thought I'd wrap it around a tree, and it was too much car for a 16 year old.
Here's the bottom line: I can't play someone if I can't figure out what he cares about. Everybody cares about something, even a rough character. It defines where we step in life. As soon as you find out what somebody cares about, then it all gets real.
I have no problem having any actor from anywhere play a role. I'm excited for any actor that gets a job, I truly am. Even if it's a role that I'm up for and I don't get it, I never begrudge any actor having it work out for them.
