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Billy Campbell

Billy Campbell Quotes

Film actor

Billy Campbell, born on July 7, 1959 in Canada, is a renowned film actor. He is known for his outstanding performances in various film and television projects, particularly during the 1990s and early 2000s. Campbell has extensive experience in both film and television, with his characters often characterized by strong personalities and deep emotional layers.

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Famous Billy Campbell Quotes

“Many who wave American flags also practice discrimination on the basis of race. Many who wave American flags practice anti-Semitism. We think that betrays the fundamental ideals of our democracy.”

Thinking Race Practice Democracy Ideals Bases Fundamentals Wave Betrayal Discrimination Flags Betray Anti Semitism American Flag

Author:Billy Campbell

“If I ever get married, I'd like to pick a place so hard to reach that only a few people would turn up-like the North Pole. A destination wedding weeds out all the people who might potentially get their noses out of joint, so only the troupers would be there.”

People Ifs Hard Might Would Be Turns Married Picks Noses Destination Weed Joints North Pole

Author:Billy Campbell

“To me, if I'm reading a fantastic story or I go on a nice first date and I have a wonderful time, I'm not gonna complain because it didn't work out. I'm gonna go on a second date.”

Ifs Firsts Stories Reading Nice Wonderful Goes On Work Out Complaining Fantastic First Date Wonderful Times

Author:Billy Campbell

“For me, the experience of making the show is very much like being in a novel. I enjoy getting the new script. I make a cup of tea and I read it the same way I would read a book, with the same amount of joy.”

Way Book Shows Joy Enjoy Novel Amount Scripts Cups Tea Cups Of Tea

Author:Billy Campbell

“Everything about acting is a challenge. I'm self-conscious. You couldn't do anything to cause me to be more self-conscious than to stick a camera in my face and have 60 people standing behind it, waiting for me to perform.”

People Self Faces Causes Waiting Challenges Acting Behinds Conscious Standing Cameras Sticks Self Conscious

Author:Billy Campbell

“A great deal of my battle, as an actor, is to widdle away the things that make me self-conscious and try to trick myself into not being self-conscious.”

Trying Self Actors Deals Battle Conscious Tricks Self Conscious

Author:Billy Campbell

“The network wants you to make a thing that's just a stand-alone episode, so you never get any character or continuity. This is one of the ways in which television can actually be good, and even better than the movies, because it gives you a chance to tell a long story.”

Way Want Giving Long Character Stories Chance Television Be Good Episodes Continuity Stand Alone Long Story

Author:Billy Campbell

“So many movies are so formulaic because you've got to get it done in an hour and a half. On a TV series, that's where the really interesting stuff can happen.”

Done Happens Stuff Hours Interesting Half Tvs Series Really Interesting Get It Done Tv Series Interesting Stuff

Author:Billy Campbell

“I don't really collect the mementos. I do steal books off of sets. If there's a library on the set, you can bet that I'll steal away with a book or two.”

Ifs Two Book Library Stealing Memento

Author:Billy Campbell

“Once something is well-written, then everything else is gravy.”

Wells Written Well Written Gravy

Author:Billy Campbell

“Some of the best auditions I've ever had have been when my agent called and said, "They want you 20 minutes ago, in an office in Century City, to see you for something." It's actually sometimes a really good thing. I don't have time to second-guess myself, I don't have time to overthink things, and I don't have time to get bogged down in stuff. I'm not sitting there thinking for a week and a half, before I'm supposed to go in front of a network president to do something. That just gives you time to be nervous.”

Thinking Giving Sometimes President Week Office Good Things Nervous

Author:Billy Campbell

“I've done my share of reading about Abraham Lincoln, throughout my life, and he wasn't always carved in stone. He was a human being. He was a very thoughtful, self-educated, complex, magnanimous human being, who was very, very strong, very smart and very canny, with a very strong sense of what was right and what was wrong. Through all that, he's become an icon, over the years, and some of his warmth and humanity has been lost. You don't tend to think of Lincoln as this warm, funny person, but he was.”

Thinking Done Humanity Reading Strong Share Smart Thoughtful Warmth Very Strong Very Smart

Author:Billy Campbell

“Aside from what it teaches you, there is simply the indescribable degree of peace that can be achieved on a sailing vessel at sea. I guess a combination of hard work and the seemingly infinite expanse of the sea - the profound solitude - that does it for me.”

Doe Hard Teach Sea Hard Work Solitude Degrees Infinite Profound Combination Sailing Vessel Indescribable Expanse

Author:Billy Campbell

“The first trip I remember taking was on the train from Virginia up to New York City, watching the summertime countryside rolling past the window. They used white linen tablecloths in the dining car in those days, and real silver. I love trains to this day. Maybe that was the beginning of my fixation with leisurely modes of travel.”

Firsts Real Past Remember Used White Cities Car New York Window Train Silver This Day New York City Rolling Virginia Countryside Dining Summertime Fixation Linen

Author:Billy Campbell

“I always know exactly where my stories take place, which gives me something certain so I can use my imagination for the other stuff. I worry though, who wants to keep reading stories about Kalamazoo?”

Knows Want Giving I Can Stories Use Certain Reading Stuff Imagination Worry Give Me My Imagination Reading Stories Kalamazoo

Author:Billy Campbell

“The mood was terrible. You could see it in everybody's eyes. The body language was just defeated. When they put me in I was hoping I could give us some energy and try to bring us back.”

Giving Trying Body Eye Energy Language Terrible Mood Defeated Body Language

Author:Billy Campbell

“Vancouver is one of my favorite places on earth. It's gray and rainy there a lot of the time, but for some reason, even though it's gray and rainy, I feel like it's a sunny day.”

Feels Reason Earth My Favorite Gray Sunny Rainy Vancouver Sunny Day Favorite Places

Author:Billy Campbell

“I shampoo only once a week or so, with tree tea oil shampoo. And when I slap moisturizer on my face - just some stuff I bought in the grocery store - I pile it through my hair.”

Faces Stuff Tree Week Hair Oil Stores Tea Groceries Slap Grocery Stores Shampoo

Author:Billy Campbell

“I can't say that I haven't done some bad acting in my time. I have. Usually that involves what we actors call indicating, when you twirl your mustache.”

I Can Done Actors Acting Havens My Time Mustache Bad Acting

Author:Billy Campbell

“When I first came to Hollywood, I used to dream of doing films and escaping television.”

Firsts Dream Film Used Television Hollywood Escaping

Author:Billy Campbell

“I think it would be lovely to see some features on a disc of 'The Rocketeer,' with some reminiscing. I think that would be dynamite.”

Thinking Would Be Lovely Features Dynamite Discs Reminiscing

Author:Billy Campbell

“I would make a horrible politician, because I wouldn't enjoy my work.”

Enjoy Politician Horrible

Author:Billy Campbell

“I'm not a big fan of CGI. I'm not a fan at all, unless they use it in a way that doesn't call attention to itself.”

Way Use Bigs Attention Fans Cgi

Author:Billy Campbell

“The only thing better than going to Pitcairn in the first place, is going again.”

Author:Billy Campbell

“The South Downs of England reminded me a bit of my Old Virginia homeland.”

Bits England South Homeland Virginia

Author:Billy Campbell

“To me, the AMC brand is great storytelling - they call it slow-burn storytelling.”

Storytelling Brands

Author:Billy Campbell

“A great deal of my battle, as an actor, is to whittle away the things that make me self-conscious and try to trick myself into not being self-conscious. So, it's always a challenge, whether I'm lying in a hospital bed or flying around with a rocket pack on my back, or what have you. On the best of days, it's a challenge for me.”

Trying Self Lying Actors Challenges Deals Battle Bed Conscious Flying Tricks Hospitals Packs Rockets Self Conscious

Author:Billy Campbell

“I almost always do things that I like, in some form or fashion. Every once in awhile that means that I don't think the script is any good and I don't have any trust in the people, but the film is shooting in Sri Lanka, or somewhere like that, so I'm going.”

People Thinking Mean Film Form Fashion Scripts Shooting Sri Lanka

Author:Billy Campbell

“I don't have any complex plans for playing a character. I think all I try to do is not make too many bad guy faces and not ever try to seem too good. I just try to put it in the middle somewhere.”

Thinking Trying Character Seems Faces Guy Plans Middle Complexes Bad Guys

Author:Billy Campbell

“I grew up 60 minutes way from Richmond, in Charlottesville, Virginia and, as a child, I was obsessed with the Civil War. I used to do re-enactments and all that stuff.”

Way Children War Used Stuff Minutes Grew Grew Up Obsessed Civil War Virginia Richmond

Author:Billy Campbell

“I sailed a bit as a child, but it wasn't until I was around 40, when I was halfway through Patrick O'Brian's 'Master and Commander' novels, that I had the sudden epiphany that I had to go sail on a square-rig ship.”

Children Bits Novel Masters Ships Squares Sail Halfway Commanders Epiphany Brian Rigs

Author:Billy Campbell

“I tend to get comfortable with the dialogue and find out who the person is in the script and try to hit that. People are sort of independent of their occupations and their pastimes. You don't play a politician or a fireman or a cowboy - you just play a person.”

People Trying Persons Play Politician Comfortable Independent Scripts Dialogue Occupation Cowboy Pastime Fireman

Author:Billy Campbell

“I would love to see a sequel to 'The Rocketeer.' I'd love to see that! I don't know that I would be in it. I may be a little long in the tooth to play 'The Rocketeer.' But I would love to be a part of that in some form or fashion.”

Knows May Littles Long Play Would Be Form Fashion Teeth Sequels

Author:Billy Campbell

“I've done some things that have been quite interesting, but as grateful as I am for having been on 'Dynasty,' it was just so cheesy. That's half the reason it was so much fun for people to watch, but it's not so fun to have to say those lines.”

People Has Beens Reason Done Fun Lines Interesting Half Watches Grateful Cheesy Dynasty

Author:Billy Campbell

“If you were to ask my agent, they would confirm this: I'm drawn to locations. What really drew me to 'The 4400,' aside from the fact that it was sci-fi, was the fact that it was shot in the city of my dreams: Vancouver.”

Ifs Facts Dream Asks Cities Shots Agents Sci Fi Location Vancouver

Author:Billy Campbell

“Most sailing ships take what they call trainees, who pay to be part of the crew. The Picton Castle takes people who are absolutely raw recruits. But you can't just ride along. You're learning to steer the ship, navigation; you're pulling lines, keeping a lookout; in the galley you're cooking.”

People Lines Pay Cooking Ships Pulling Crew Sailing Castles Steers Recruit Navigation Sailing Ships Trainees

Author:Billy Campbell

“Oh, I’m nerdy about science fiction and fantasy and graphic novels and reading, and I’m nerdy about board games. My favorite board game is a board game I’m working on right now. It’s a game of Napoleonic era naval warfare, and it’s going to be fun.”

“On land, you can walk away from people, from unpleasant situations. But when you're on a ship for 14 months with 49 other people, if you don't resolve your issues it literally could mean - and this would be an extreme circumstance - the sinking of the ship. You learn a lot about other people. You learn a lot about yourself.”

People Ifs Mean Would Be Walks Situation Issues Land Months Circumstances Extremes Ships Resolve About Yourself Sinking

Author:Billy Campbell

“Some of the best auditions I've ever had have been when my agent called and said, 'They want you 20 minutes ago, in an office in Century City, to see you for something.' I'm not sitting there thinking for a week and a half, before I'm supposed to go in front of a network president to do something. That just gives you time to be nervous.”

Thinking Want Giving Has Beens Said President Cities Half Week Minutes Century Fronts Office Sitting Nervous Agents Auditions

Author:Billy Campbell

“The feeling of being at sea has put me in touch with who I am to a greater degree than if I had been on land all these years. So, in a roundabout way, I imagine it does inform my acting.”

Ifs Way Years Doe Feelings Acting Greater Imagine Sea Land Degrees Who I Am

Author:Billy Campbell

“The kind of people that love 'The Rocketeer' are the kind of people that love good storytelling and innocence and a better world, so to speak, so they're almost always nice people to bump into.”

People World Kind Speak Nice Storytelling Innocence Bumps Nice People Good Storytelling

Author:Billy Campbell

“There have been times when I've been asked to do things and I've thought, "This is great! This is a great script. But, I do not believe myself in this role." I pretend I'm the producer and I think, "If I was making this movie, would I cast myself in this part?," and if that doesn't feel right to me, then I don't even go audition for it.”

Ifs Thinking Feels Believe Has Beens Roles Scripts Casts Producers Auditions Feels Right

Author:Billy Campbell

About the Author

Born: July 7, 1959
Known for: Film actor
Quotes: 42

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