I had already done a lot of research for Rough Riders, keeping notebooks and old photographs. Some of the books were antiques for that time period, with the covers falling off.

I don't care about being a star. I can do a supporting role; I don't have to be a lead

My mother, sister and I watched through the windows as my father gambled

While I was doing these plays in the beginning, I wasn't getting paid. I thought of it more as a hobby. Then I realized how seriously a lot of these people took what they were doing

I guess if I weren't an actor, I'd be a history professor

I came in on the tail end of the old school of Hollywood

We had training camp for a week, and we used the actual military drills of that period. We didn't have to work out much after hours, because going up and down hills all day was a good workout in itself.