Shameless is a rough show, and it’s not for everyone, but it’s also beautiful.

Actors are embracing a new aesthetic, which is leaning more toward truthful and simple and direct, as opposed to what we would normally call sitcom acting.

You have to do whatever you can to limit the things that could make you feel insecure.

You'd much rather act with a pal, someone you know really well. That way, you can cut all the niceties and go right to insulting each other.

All modesty aside, I think I'm good at reading scripts. The way I read a script is as fast as I can, all in one sitting, and I don't read many of the stage directions. I only read enough stage directions to let me know where I am, because they're always so verbose and mostly horseshit. So I only read the dialogue, which allows me to see the movie in my mind's eye in real time.

That's pretty much what every scene is about, getting people to see your point of view. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

A favorite cast? Lisa Kudrow, Anthony Hopkins, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and my wife.