Jeff Bridges Quotes

As far as the lack of hits goes, I think perhaps it's because I've played a lot of different roles and have not created a persona that the public can latch on to. I have played everything from psychopathic killers to romantic leading men, and in picking such diverse roles I have avoided typecasting.

One of the tough things about being an actor, probably the hardest thing, is getting your foot in the door, and my father handled that for me at a very early age.

Nowadays, in the contract that actors sign, you have to agree that you're going to do a certain amount of publicity-the hard part they don't pay you for.

I do my best to hold the director's opinion above my own.

Mania is a wonderful feeling.

I've got to watch my back, so I can't put on too much weight.

It can kind of screw up things if you're trying to overwork something.

Poverty is a very complicated issue, but feeding a child isn't.

I've produced a couple of films and really enjoyed starting it from the very beginning and seeing it all the way through to the end; that was very gratifying.

If you open your heart, then the object of your love becomes so precious because you are so open. And that philosophy, that caring, spreads.

One of the greatest feelings in the world is knowing that we as individuals can make a difference. Ending hunger in America is a goal that is literally within our grasp.

There's a bit of the kid in me.

I'm drawn to the path of least resistance.

Yeah, I loved Ray Bradbury.

You know, I thought we could use a good myth about technology to help guide us through these particular modern waters right now.

During my early years, I thought I might be a musician. Like most kids, I didn't do what my parents wanted me to do. They were gung-ho that all their kids become actors. They loved showbiz so much. I am a product of nepotism, basically.

I remember when I was a kid, with the acting thing, I resented it because, you know, you don't want to do what your parents want you to do. You got your own things. And the whole idea of getting a job because of who your father is - that didn't feel right. But after a while I guess I figured I must be doing something right, because people wouldn't keep hiring me if I didn't have something to give.

That movie, 'Airplane!,' what a landmark film it was. It's a great, great movie.

This is many, many years ago. It was shortly after "Starman" I think. I don't know how close I was to getting the part. I met with [director] Penny Marshall and that's one that I knew would be a hit. It just felt hit-ish. But it's like you go to a store and you see a jacket and you go "I love that jacket" and you try it on and it's too big or too small for you and it's the only one they have. For some reason that part just didn't fit me.

It was fortunate for all of us to have Joaquin Jackson, who is a very renowned Texas Ranger, on board. He spent quite a few days with us on set and he added a lot to it for me on what it's like to be a Texas Ranger.

I'm not counting any chickens.

Yeah I loved, as a kid growing up, I loved science-fiction.

I've done quite a few movies, I generally can feel that I'm not right for the role or a general fear if I can pull it off, and him giving that "tag" so to speak gave me the confidence. Like that Miles Davis line, "Don't worry about mistakes, there aren't any." Once you are the part, you're the guy, so you can't not be the guy because you're it.

I think my love of journalizing my life comes from my mom.

I've had really great experiences working with first-time directors. They come at filmmaking with fresh ideas. I've been very lucky that way.

Thoughts will change and shift just like the wind and the water when you're on the boat; thoughts are no different than anything else.

I really try hard not to work, not to engage, because I know what that means. What hard work it is; it takes me away from my family.

I'd maybe done about 12 movies when I decided that this was what I was going to do.

What I learned most from my father wasn't anything he said; it was just the way he behaved. He loved his work so much that, whenever he came on set, he brought that with him, and other people rose to it.

I haven't been to Comic-Con.

Your part can be the king, but unless people are treating you like royalty, you ain't no king, man.

Eating ice cream and not exercising is great. The downside is your health isn't so good.

I've worked with a lot of first-time directors who kind of look to me for ideas and opinions and stuff, and I'm a team player.

I had years of partying, and I was kind of surprised and happy I survived it all. Now, being a parent, I look back on it thinking, Oh God, the things you did!

Once, during an interview in front of my wife, I was asked, "Are you one of those actors who brings your character home? Do you stay in character?" I said, "No, not really. I don't do that," and she started laughing. I asked her why. She said, "Well, you might think you don't bring characters home, but you do." So, while I don't feel like a character is lingering, it probably is.

Generally speaking I would say I enjoy the smaller films more because there's a less sense of pressure and often the material is more unusual.

I understand professionals have to work when they don't feel like it, and I certainly don't feel like it. So maybe this will put the nail in the coffin for my acting career.

Life is having its way with me now. And I'm really pleased.

Public charities, foodbanks and church pantries are doing more than ever before, but they can't keep up with the need. We can never end hunger only through the wonderful work of local charities. Like other Western democracies, we must end our national problem of hunger through national and political leadership. Charity is nice for some things, but not as a way to feed a nation. We don't protect our national security through charity, and we shouldn't protect our families and children that way either.

Nowadays it seems more and more like the 'business' in 'show business' is underlined, and there are campaigns, and it's all part of getting people in to see the movies.

You liked the freshness of it, c'mon try it" and I said "oh God, I read it three of four times" and finally I said "all right, I want you guys to organize a reading and I want you to be there to see how terrible this is not going to work at all", so we had a table like this, and read the script, and it was just great.

Whenever you're the child of a famous person, you get judged in odd ways because of that.

As filmmakers, we're constantly always looking for something to bring the audience deeper into the reality of the story we're telling.

I'd done about 10 movies before I decided I wanted to make acting the main thrust of my career.

When I was really young, my mom enrolled me in dance classes.

Everybody loses a couple, and you either pack it up and go home or you keep on fighting.

My father Lloyd Bridges was very versatile in his parts, but he had a hit in the '60s 'Sea Hunt,' where he played a skin diver. And he was so into that role that people actually thought he was a skin-diver.

The more space and emptiness you can create in yourself, then you can let the rest of the world come in and fill you up.