When I got the script for Memento, I read it and I got killed off on page one and I fired my agent.

Meaning of the quote

The actor, Joe Pantoliano, received the script for the movie Memento. When he read the script, he discovered that his character was killed off very early, on the first page. Upset by this, he decided to fire his agent, the person who had gotten him the role in the first place.

About Joe Pantoliano

Joe Pantoliano is an acclaimed American actor known for his roles in The Sopranos, The Matrix, and numerous other films and TV shows. He’s also a mental health advocate, having founded the nonprofit organization No Kidding, Me Too! to help remove the stigma surrounding mental illness.

More about the author

More quotes from Joe Pantoliano

When I interview somebody, I look at their resume to see what they’ve done, who they’ve worked with, and how many times. If they’ve gotten repeat work. Those are the kinds of actors I want to hire.

Joe Pantoliano

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What the hell did I do in the 80’s? Midnight Run. A perfect movie. Just a perfect movie.

Joe Pantoliano

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We have to promote a movie. It’s just extraordinary that everybody I’m talkin’ to loves this movie.

Joe Pantoliano

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There aren’t any small parts, only small paychecks.

Joe Pantoliano

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I’ve been on jobs where there’s that one actor who is just a miserable, miserable no-good, dirty bastard, and it just turns the whole process sour.

Joe Pantoliano

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I don’t like directors that just say, Stand there and now do this.

Joe Pantoliano

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When we were making The Fugitive, we all thought it was going to bomb.

Joe Pantoliano

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One thing that’s great about being a character actor is that a movie doesn’t rest on your shoulders. If it bombs, it won’t hurt my career.

Joe Pantoliano

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It’s such a luxury to be able to be happy about going to work in the morning.

Joe Pantoliano

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I’ve worked with Steven Spielberg three times. I’m proud to say that I’m one of those actors that continues to get hired by the same directors.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

It’s all about people. It’s all about the subjectivity of what people love.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

I wanted to play a good guy after doing this lunatic on The Sopranos for two years. And then they did the sequel to Bad Boys, where I get to play the barking captain again.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

I think one of the geniuses of Bound and The Matrix and Memento is the complete collaboration of the effort. There were no rotten apples.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

The amateur porn business makes $11 billion a year. They don’t get bad reviews.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

Living in the projects helped me with this role.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

In private some critics have come up to me afterwards and told me they honestly enjoyed the movie. Then they’d tell me that they’re still going to have to write it up negatively.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

Good actors are a dime a dozen, but I want actors that are gonna be part of my team and collaborative.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

You’ll never see me in the red leather. I don’t have the chin for it.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

Bad Boys II has knocked everyone’s socks off.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

They actually bought me for Daredevil 2, but they have to exercise the option.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

I’ve been so good in so many movies that nobody saw.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

Who owns the NY Post? 20th Century Fox. Talk about vertical integration.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

They’ve been talking about Pi, which I haven’t seen, they’ve been comparing it to Usual Suspects, Sixth Sense, and Fight Club, and I didn’t see that either.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

Actors always have opinions.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

The Moguls is a story about guys that have all grown up together and are now in their late 40s, early 50s.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

Let’s face it, 80 percent of the work I do my kids can’t see.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

Twelve to 15 years of acting school, and I am being a bird.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

I’ve been very successful doing voices in movies. I did Olive, the Other Reindeer, with Drew Barrymore, and I did Cats and Dogs. My children came to some of the sessions.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

When I got the script for Memento, I read it and I got killed off on page one and I fired my agent.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

I’ve been saying in the press that being a NY Post investigator reporter is an oxymoron.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

The greatest leading man, in my opinion, will always be Cary Grant.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

When you work for Bruckheimer, you don’t get it any better. He’s the ultimate producer. I’ve had the good fortune of working with some great producers over the years.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

That’s another reason I did Daredevil: I didn’t get killed off in it.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

We should do another 10 Bad Boys movies. I could come in in one of those electric wheelchairs, like Peter Sellers in Dr Strangelove, just shouting away.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor

The camera looks into your soul.

Joe Pantoliano

American actor