Don't use barbiturates before going on stage. And be honest.

I spent a lot of my youth working outside in the elements, and I kind of revel in defeating tough weather.

When I arrive in Los Angeles in the entertainment community, and I use implements like a shovel and a hammer, our society has distanced itself so far from working with its hands that those incredibly pedestrian skills are perceived as somehow being extraordinary.

I think all these great comforts that come from the human condition of trying to make things easier on ourselves also have these pitfalls, where things become so easy that we forget how enjoyable building a fence can be.

It's funny, growing up there was never anybody around me with any kind of artistic bent.

I worked a lot in Chicago's theater scene as a fight choreographer. And so I do have a lot of experience in stage combat and also in Kabuki dance and Kabuki theater.

I've been working steadily as an actor since around 1998. I wasn't well known in the public, but I was a dependable working journeyman.