Happy Birthday Christoph Waltz!

I'm trying to be very aware of not repeating myself.

Es gibt Schauspieler, die führen Korrespondenzen mit ihrer Figur. Ich tue das nicht. Ich habe etwas gegen die Mystifizierung der Schauspielerei. Der deutsche Begriff Schauspieler ist unglücklich, denn er bezieht sich zu sehr auf Schau, auf das Ergebnis. Im Englischen bin ich ein actor, ein Tuer, das bezieht sich auf den Vorgang der Arbeit selbst. Das Ergebnis überlasse ich dem Regisseur, denn was ich tue, geht noch durch viele Prozesse, zum Beispiel durch Schnitt, Musik und Lichtbestimmung.

The villain is usually the most interesting part. But it has to be a smart thing. Just dumb cliche villains with a Russian accent and big muscles and a mean face, I don't know. My Russian accent isn't that great, and the muscles aren't that big and the mean face is not enough. You know what I mean? It gets very boring. Tedious stuff.

Das ist unglaublich, auf dieser Liste zu stehen, auf Augenhöhe zu sein mit Robert De Niro. Oder mit Alan Arkin. Dessen Bücher habe ich gelesen, als ich in der Schauspielschule angefangen habe. Daran denke ich lieber gar nicht, sonst fangen mir die Knie zu wackeln an.

You're always being cast for what you've been in last.

Ich glaube, dass in diesen Schauspielschulen vielen – mir zumindest – ein bisschen der Spaß abgwöhnt wird.

It's easy to not feel misplaced if this tidal wave of appreciation is coming your way.

Hollywood ist immer das Ziel, für jeden. Wer etwas anderes behauptet, dem glaube ich nicht.

I only do what I like to do.

I take praise as not just a reward and a result but also as the beginning of a new process.

Ten flashing lights are a nuisance but 500 are fantastic.

You can't always do the extraordinary, in between you have to do the ordinary. Because if you didn't, what would constitute the extraordinary?

I used to hate exposure situations. What is generally referred to as 'red carpet.'

You know, I don't support esoteric approaches to acting.

You get hit over the knuckles enough, you don't stick them out anymore.

Well, you need the villain. If you don't have a villain, the good guy can stay home.

I'm open to working anywhere, but not on anything.

You know, I don't talk about the characters that I play. Years ago, I was a little timid about it and I kind of squirmed when I was asked, 
'Could you tell us something about your character.' Now with a little self-confidence that comes with the grey beard, I just flatly refuse.

It's a wonderful narrative device to bring someone from the outside and look through his eyes if you want to describe the absurdity and preposterous reality that is accepted amongst the ones who are inside.

By looking into more details of American history, we can make more sense of what's happening today.

Becoming an actor is like becoming a father. It's not hard to become one. Making a life of it is the challenge.

You see, my version of why anyone would want to become an actor is that it's some psychological fixation, something that happened in puberty that you didn't outgrow in time, which is normal. Nevertheless, if you make it a profession, it can be really neurotic.

It bothers me that people who should know better believe a glossy magazine fantasy.

I think Stephen Sondheim is a - and I hardly ever use this word - but this is as close as it gets to a genius.

My agent is the quickest, sharpest man on earth.

I'm very bad with improvisation. I hate it.

Stephen Sondheim I am in awe of.

When a new book comes out or becomes accessible in whatever form, I get it and I read it.

Praise is nothing that accumulates. Praise is a sequence, especially if you've toiled for a long time. Praise does not pile up. So in a way, you can't get too much. I don't consider it to be a quantity that you can measure by volume.

I have always been so interested in film as a medium.

I think in Europe, movies are made like a commodity and then sold as art.

I'm not really all that familiar with comic book culture.