John Turturro

If a film doesn’t play, people aren’t going to be that nice.

I think you learn more from looking at how things occurred and what happened afterward, not just at the event.

I think I’ve had more of a variety in what I’ve done than most actors.

The past has to inform the present.

I love to act, and I try to be challenged by what I do.

When you sit down and watch something alone, you’re going to watch it for what it is.

When I see these guys write all this macho stuff I want to smash their heads.

The romance stuff is easy. A sex scene… that’s hard, because you don’t know what to do. Those scenes are awkward.

If I was a criminal, stationery stores and bakeries would be the two kinds of places I would concentrate on.

You think of stars as ambitious or aggressive or self-oriented.

When the day’s work is over, it’s over.

Games sometimes can reveal things. To watch someone in movement, unconscious movement, can be very stimulating and revealing, whether they win or not.

In my first film, Five Corners, I played a very scary, violent crazed character, and it exposed me to a lot of directors.

I make a list of what I have in common, and what I don’t have in common, with someone I’m playing.

Levi is one of the best authors I’ve ever read. It’s hard not to have an immediate personal response to his work. He has such a quiet tone.

Al Michaels is a good announcer. I think Keith Jackson is a terrific announcer. I always loved him on Monday Night Football. I never understood why they got rid of him.

I’ve done nudity. I’m an exhibitionist. It doesn’t matter.

My interest lies in my self-expression – what’s inside of me – not what I’m in.

It’s great to watch someone get the most out of what they can do, whether they’re a beautiful performer or just a really gritty performer. It’s something to behold.

I play chess badly and I’ve been beaten by my 10-year old son.

A lot of films need planning in order to survive at all. It’s part of the dog and pony show.