When I first started out, I was a bad actor.

My goal was just to work regularly. I didn't ever expect to be rich or famous. I wanted to be a working character actor.

The only thing hard about being an actor is being out of work. So, when you get a job - that part ain't hard at all.

I like working. It is where I feel useful. I have no plans to cut down. I am happy with what I do. There will be a lot more of me yet, that's for sure.

You may get real tired watching me, but I'm not going to quit.

The best movies are made from a point of view of an understanding of human nature and an understanding of history and an understanding of what motivates people, of what makes a good movie from an emotional place.

As a matter of fact, that was a bit of a problem for me at the beginning of my career - the problem of identification. In The Conversation I played a character who was gay, so nobody recognised me from American Graffiti. When I did Apocalypse Now, after Star Wars, I played an intelligence officer of the American army. George Lucas saw the footage I had done and didn't recognise me until halfway through the scene.