I like characters where there's something going on and something to make him real. If you find out what somebody cares about, all of a sudden, the whole world opens up.
William FichtnerSometimes the scene is a sad scene but you have to play it with a laugh to find out that that doesn't work or that there's really a part of that in it, and that's what rehearsal is for, to take that time.
William FichtnerWhether it's one scene or 15 scenes in a film, whether it's the lead or a cameo part, if I don't find it interesting, I tend not to do it. You never really know what it is. It could be a one-scene part. I remember I read the one scene in Crash and was asked to do it. I was like, "Absolutely!" There's no formula for how something has to be. I always try to keep it that way.
William FichtnerRidley Scott - not that he shared it a lot, but you can just see that everything he did, Ridley always seemed to be just so clear. I love that about him.
William FichtnerThe Underneath was my first film. Steven Soderbergh. I remember that I thought, "Wow, this is such a highlight. Am I ever going to get back to this?" Loved working with Steven and in Austin, Texas, one of the rockin'-est towns in America. I'll always remember it, because I was really grateful that someone finally hired me for a movie.
William Fichtner