I never wanted to play the short game.

Historically, I'm not a great patient when it comes to slowing down.

There's this thin line between knowing something is going to be really hard and saying, 'Yeah, you know, but I still gotta see if I can pull it off.'

I used to work on a survey crew, because my dad was an engineer, but he was also a surveyor.

My brothers were tremendous shack builders. My shacks were horrible. My brothers once built a two-story shack from the ground up that was awesome!

I'm getting more and more bored with professional sports, but I still watch.

I liked 'Robocop' because of the director, and it was an intelligent, big-action studio movie.

If you get a good comedy once a year, man, that's pretty good. I may be pickier than some, but still, there aren't that many movies that are really, truly, honestly that funny.

I used to say no to almost everything because I thought, 'I've got enough dough, I know what I want to do, and I know what I'm capable of.'

There is the theory... that you live in two places: You either live in fear, or you live in love.

I always thought what made 'Beetlejuice' look so great was because it looked like some genius kid made it in his basement.

I get kinda self-conscious. I don't want to know about my eyebrows. I'm born with them.

I really like to hear actors talk about acting, but I don't really like hearing myself talk.

Unpredictability means what it means. I don't know how you define it. It is what it is.

I was so gullible as a kid.

I always knew the way in was Bruce Wayne. It wasn't Batman. It was never Batman. That was the key.

I remember my mom threatening me, half-serious: 'You know what? I should take you to Pittsburgh and put you in dance lessons just to keep you occupied.' Well, that brought everything to a screeching halt. 'Jeeze, dance lessons.' In retrospect, it would have been awesome, but then, 'Ugh, dancing - dancing's for sissies.'

Sometimes I don't feel like an actor. Sometimes I speak about it like it was another job, and then I go, 'Wait a minute - I am one!'

When I was in improv workshops or doing stand-up or writing comedy with others, or just doing comedy, I just laughed. Funny was funny; I loved to laugh. I always liked people I found generally funny.

I'm in a business that invites narcissism, self-involvement, and egos being blown out of proportion.

I grew up in rural Pennsylvania, in a really rundown old house. I'd stay out till 8:30, 9:00 at night. Just blow in. My mom and dad never really cared much. It was okay. We were pretty free to roam. I mean, I had no concept of stopping play. It just didn't occur to anyone.

I'm envious of writers and musicians. I think it must be so difficult. Not just the frustration, but the discipline.

My first day in grade school, I was plain scared. I left the comfort of my run-down house, which I loved, and went to school where it was cold, it smelled, the lighting was bad.

I'm just shocked at how blatantly shallow people are sometimes.

To make extra money, my parents would sell eggs and chickens. I was very little. I remember a chicken's head being chopped off with the chicken running around. I wasn't sure if my imagination was running away with me or if it really happened. It really happened.

Show business is, essentially, a fear-based industry.

I really believed that Batman had the potential to be one of the coolest guys in cinema.

I hope this doesn't sound pretentious, but I very often like the way Europeans make movies. I think sometimes that don't they care about having to clean certain things.

I never knew anyone who was cloned, but I played one in 'Multiplicity.'

I was an altar boy, which I loved and am very proud of. It was strict, but also really nice.

From an art perspective, I don't know how you get better than 'Beetlejuice.' In terms of originality and a look, it's 100% unique.

I find there are a few places where I like to meditate more than in other places. There's a little Catholic church that I go to, and there's another temple I go to - there are certain places where I just feel more comfortable.

I don't know - sometimes I catch myself being dark, and it's annoying. I think, 'Get over it.' I bore myself. But sometimes, like everybody, I'm sure I am obsessive.

Over the years, I think, people - actors, writers, whatever - lose their frame of reference. Their frame of reference is based on somebody else who did this or did that. Performances. So it just becomes a reflection of what already works. Like a warm-up. And that's an invitation to be inauthentic.

People always make these generalized statements about Hollywood, and there's all kinds of people in Hollywood.

In terms of the parallels, I've never related less to a character than Riggan.

Weirdly, for someone who wanted to be funny, I didn't like a lot of attention.

I'm just shocked and thankful that I've gotten away with everything - experimenting here, trying at this, failing at that, being good in some things, not so good in others. It's kind of amazing that people are still sticking by me. When they come up to me in the street, I just want to write them all cheques.

I always think that I'm not going to be right for a movie or that there's someone else who can do it better.

I think one reason I really like women and like working with women is because of my sisters.

I took my play very seriously, and I got way, way lost in my play world.

I still really like newspapers. I'm gonna feel really sad when they go. Or not - maybe I'll be dead.

I choose not to be at the whim of others. I want to be at my own whim.

Colbert makes me crazy: he's so funny. Plus, he seems like an extraordinarily decent dude.

We had four guys in the family, so somebody was always hitting somebody or chasing somebody or getting mad or fighting or wrestling - that was just what you did. So when you're the youngest, it's good for you. You figure out real early how to get out of headlocks and holds.

I went through a lazy period.

To say directing was a long-stewing ambition doesn't cover it. If you cut me open, you'd see it.

There're only a few photographers I've ever felt really comfortable with.

I was never a huge 007 fan, but I sure liked Sean Connery. I'm sure Pierce Brosnan is good and has his moments, but I've not seen him; I've only seen bits and pieces on TV, so I can't really judge. Pierce looks very natural in the role.

I guess I'm probably a Method actor; I don't know... I just think of it as staying in the zone.