Steve Buscemi

When I moved to the East Village in the late seventies, I wanted to be a street performer, so I practiced daily. I never did work up the skills or the courage to perform on the street, though.

I've always tried to have a healthy take on the characters I play; they are only characters I play.

There's a certain type of character that you can't help but come in contact with growing up and living in Brooklyn and Long Island. A certain mixture of moxie, heart, and a wise guy sense of humor.

I never did improv professionally, but that was certainly in my training as an actor. I like it.

When I get cast, I always flip to the end of the script to see if my character gets beaten up or killed.

I'd say that the director I had most involvement with was Alex Rockwell in 'In the Soup'. It was one of my earliest leading roles, and he gave me a lot of responsibility as an actor.

I didn't really like the aloneness of doing stand-up. The comedians by nature weren't very - I mean, they were sociable, but they hung out in cliques, and it's very hard to get accepted; lots of competition.

I never know what I'm going to get. A 'Sopranos' fan is very different from a 'Big Lebowski' fan.

I've never had a grand plan. I've only just tried to keep open to many different possibilities, have fun and work with people who are passionate about what they do.

My dad had a temper. I have a temper. Most people I know have a temper. And I think it comes out mostly with your family. I don't think it's unique to the Buscemis, but it's something I've been able to tap into when I play certain roles.

I like character-driven stuff. It doesn't matter, the size of the part.

I could never have imagined the films I've done and the people I've worked with when I was starting out; I certainly did not have a career path.

I don't tend to think of these characters as losers. I like the struggles that people have, people who are feeling like they don't fit into society, because I still sort of feel that way.

Trees Lounge is based on my own life. Both my parents like the movie. My father, of course, thinks it's a masterpiece.

The first movie I had a featured role in was Parting Glances.

I usually get freaked out if I'm in a situation where a lot of people recognise me at once.

It doesn't matter to me what the genre is.

I talked with Quentin about where the character came from, and he told me Kansas City. I don't know how somebody talks from Kansas City, so I made him from New York.

They're not supposed to show prison films in prison. Especially ones that are about escaping.

With Animal Factory you'd think that because it's mostly interiors, you could shoot it anywhere. So we shot this in Philadelphia, and we had the cooperation of the prison system.