Home / Authors / Stephen Lang

Stephen Lang

Stephen Lang Quotes

Actor

Stephen Lang is an accomplished American actor, born on July 11, 1952. He has appeared in numerous films and television shows, gaining fame for his roles in 'Aliens' and 'Braveheart'.

Filter quotes by topic

All Ifs Play Roles Thinking Want Way Actors Character Men People

Famous Stephen Lang Quotes

“When Steven Spielberg comes calling, it behooves you to seriously consider it.”

Author:Stephen Lang

“Your primary tools, as an actor, are observation and imagination. You can pretty much get everything you need from that, and you do. It brings back that element of pretend.”

Needs Actors Imagination Elements Tools Observation Primaries

Author:Stephen Lang

“I've been into weight training for many, many years and you add to that a good dose of cardio, don't overindulge, and you can do all right.”

Years Can Do Training Weight Add Dose Cardio Weight Training

Author:Stephen Lang

“My favorite show from the '60s was 'Combat.' And maybe 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'”

Men Shows He Man My Favorite Combat

Author:Stephen Lang

“I'm always reading plays, and when I find something that I really want to do, then I'll make the time to do it.”

Want Play Reading

Author:Stephen Lang

“I love scenes that are just emotional give and take. By the same token action sequences are great to do. They have their own unique demands and requirements. So I take it as it comes and hopefully you can get a good balance of all of that stuff.”

Giving Action Stuff Emotional Balance Scene Demand Unique Hopefully Requirements Sequence Tokens Give And Take

Author:Stephen Lang

“I wouldn't say 'Avatar' changed my life, but it definitely changed my career.”

Careers Changed Changed My Life

Author:Stephen Lang

“On some level acting is the art of pretend and you have to have a highly cultivated sense of imagination. You have to be able to see things that aren't there no matter what aspect of acting, whether it's green screen, whether it's on stage, whether it's anything else, whether you're working on the radio.”

Art Matter Able Imagination Levels Acting Stage Aspect No Matter What Green Radio Screens

Author:Stephen Lang

“The idea of being in a television series is a wonderful one to be considered, but you want to make sure it's the right thing for you because if you are fortunate enough to have something go for a long term, you want to make sure that it's something that you really want to be spending a bulk of your time on.”

Ifs Want Long Ideas Enough Term Wonderful Television Series Spending Fortunate Long Term Right Thing

Author:Stephen Lang

“You try to go where the great scripts are, if you can, or you go where the not great scripts are, because that's what's being offered to you.”

Ifs Trying Scripts

Author:Stephen Lang

“Acting can be a very reactive profession. Acting is a fantastic thing, and it's my life, but writing is also part of me too, so I did it and in so doing took responsibility for my own life.”

Writing My Own Acting Responsibility Profession Fantastic My Own Life

Author:Stephen Lang

“I am very happy acting, and just have never gone at, or been bitten by the directing bug to the extent where I'm willing to put acting aside. If offered the opportunity, I think I could do a good job with the right material.”

Ifs Thinking Jobs Opportunity Acting Gone Willing Materials Very Happy Good Job Bugs

Author:Stephen Lang

“I always have a contract with a character. Even when he's unappealing. The contract is to give him his due. To tell his story. And to keep his secrets.”

Giving Character Stories Secret Dues Contracts

Author:Stephen Lang

“Hamlet, that's the only role there is, finally. The only role. After that, you settle down and only do the fun things on stage.”

Fun Roles Stage Down And Settling Settling Down Fun Things

Author:Stephen Lang

“Whether I appear in 'Avatar 2' or 'Avatar 3', I always feel I'm a part of the 'Avatar' team.”

Author:Stephen Lang

“My Hamlet was about as alienated as you can get. Mine was a bitter and lonely prince. Valid, I think, but maybe tough to root for. I think that romance was missing.”

Thinking Romance Missing Mines Tough Roots Lonely Bitter

Author:Stephen Lang

“I loved Laurel and Hardy and TV shows like 'Robin Hood' and 'Rama of the Jungle'.”

Shows Tvs Tv Shows Jungle Rama Hood Robins Hardy Laurels Robin Hood Laurel And Hardy

Author:Stephen Lang

“The truth is, I'm a character guy. That's how I see myself. I always see the role as being far more interesting and important than I am... not all actors approach it that way.”

Way Important Character Guy Actors Interesting Roles Truth Is Approach

Author:Stephen Lang

“There are themes that somehow stir me and that I find very interesting. They're themes that deal with leadership, the nature of bravery and courage, and how to define those.”

Interesting Deals Bravery Theme Very Interesting Bravery And Courage

Author:Stephen Lang

“Fortitude, determination... in a way they're things that I idealize myself and am curious about.”

Way Determination Curious Fortitude

Author:Stephen Lang

“I've always been curious as to why one man jumps out of a fox-hole with a grenade and charges a machine gun nest and his buddy, who sits right there next to him, sits there cowering. My feeling is that the different is tiny between the two.”

Men Two Different Feelings Next Gun Machines Tiny Holes Curious One Man Foxes Buddy Nests Grenade Machine Guns

Author:Stephen Lang

“I think that war is diplomacy. There have been wars that have been fought for righteous reasons and there are wars that have had to be fought. Indeed, there will continue to be.”

Thinking Has Beens War Reason Righteous Diplomacy

Author:Stephen Lang

“I don't believe that being against the war can be equated with being non-supportive of our troops.”

Believe War Don't Believe Troops Supportive Our Troops

Author:Stephen Lang

“I was relatively buff (before 'Avatar'), because I was working in a tanktop half the time on stage, anyway, but I just went kind of into hyperdrive after that and really worked to beat that old body into shape, to get that carcass where...I didn't want to be looking at it and see anything hanging where it shouldn't be hanging.”

Want Kind Body Half Stage Shapes Beats

Author:Stephen Lang

“You can play anyone if you're open enough. It's a form of possession. Each time you work on something, you allow yourself to be possessed by creating the environment for it. Then you allow the possession to happen - but not at the expense of your sanity or of your identity.”

Ifs Enough Play Happens Form Environment Identity Creating Possession Expenses Sanity Possessed

Author:Stephen Lang

“I don't want to, in any way, characterize a race or a people or get accused of racial profiling, but the Irish, as lyrical and romantic as they can be in their poetry, they can be every bit as repressed in their personal relations.”

People Way Want Bits Race Relation Accused Lyrical Repressed Racial Profiling

Author:Stephen Lang

“My philosophy is, 'Show up, shut up, and do your job,' and if you do it to the satisfaction of your director and the public, you're likely to be able to do it again.”

Ifs Philosophy Shows Able Jobs Directors Satisfaction Shut Up

Author:Stephen Lang

“I have a penchant for playing God's clowns. Actually, I played Nijinsky once, and he used to call himself God's clown.”

Used Clown Playing God

Author:Stephen Lang

“Occasionally, I have time to go to the theater, and I think for a minute, 'Man, I'd really love to be doing a play right now.' Because I loved doing plays when I was doing them. Then I think, 'I want to do it right now, but will I want to do that Sunday matinee in six weeks?'”

Thinking Men Want Play Week Minutes Right Now Six Theater Sunday

Author:Stephen Lang

“I've played the clarinet since I was a kid. I love to sing, but I'm not much of a singer. Let's say that when it comes to vocalizing, I have the soul of Billy Bigelow but the voice of Jigger Cragan.”

Soul Kids Voice Singers Clarinet

Author:Stephen Lang

“Theater, because of the commitment, it has to be a great role and a great play to me. It takes a lot out of you.”

Play Roles Commitment Theater

Author:Stephen Lang

“I can't imagine a more profoundly exciting experience than I had working on 'Avatar.' And whether I'm ever part of it again, I'll always be very proud that I was a part of it.”

I Can Imagine Proud Exciting

Author:Stephen Lang

“I get a lot of people coming up to me and saying, "I really hate you." And they say it in the nicest possible way and I accept it. It's the people who come up to you and say, "I really liked your character. Man, he was right!" Those are the ones you worry about.”

People Men Way Character Hate Accepting Worry Come Up Hate You Up To You

Author:Stephen Lang

“I like to understand, very specifically, what it is I'm seeing, and where it is and where it's going, and a lot of that is just hitting the mark and following the dotted line. But, that's good too because there's concentration and focus that's involved in that.”

Lines Focus Seeing Involved Mark Following Concentration Hitting

Author:Stephen Lang

“I love the stage. It's terrifying in a way that film and television is not. When you're about to go out, and you're adrenaline just gets out of control, and that can be really daunting.”

Way Film Stage Television Adrenaline Film And Television

Author:Stephen Lang

“My advice to actors? To successful actors, it's, "sock it away," and unsuccessful actors, it's just, "Just keep at it. Don't do it unless you have to do it and if you have to do it, keep you've got to keep your instrument in shape. You just got to keep on getting better. If you're not getting better, you're standing still.”

Ifs Stills Actors Successful Advice Shapes Standing Instruments Get Better Sock Unsuccessful Standing Still

Author:Stephen Lang

“My criteria for doing theater has always been slightly different than my criteria with movies, in that there are a lot of reasons to do films, having to do with location, money, and first and foremost having to do with script and role and director.”

Firsts Different Reason Film Roles Directors Theater Scripts Location Criteria

Author:Stephen Lang

“My job, professionally, is tapping into stuff. We've all got it. But, I just am fortunate enough that, beyond the age of 11, it's what I do professionally.”

Enough Age Jobs Stuff Fortunate Tapping

Author:Stephen Lang

“When you want to learn about something, what is the first thing you do... you go to the internet.”

Want Firsts Internet

Author:Stephen Lang

“I don't think there is a role that I did twenty years ago that I couldn't do better now.”

Thinking Years Roles Years Ago Twenties Better Now

Author:Stephen Lang

“What has emerged as I've gotten older is simplifying the characters I play, unless the role calls for something that is arcane or ornate.”

Play Character Roles Arcane

Author:Stephen Lang

“I've become more empathetic, and my capacity to understand and be patient - to give people a break - has enlarged over the years.”

People Giving Years Break Capacity Patient Be Patient Empathetic

Author:Stephen Lang

“I am very fond of the people, landscape, poetry, music, history and the Guinness. Being there makes me think of my mother and my grandmother - always sentimental and warm thoughts.”

People Thinking Mother Warm Landscape Grandmother Sentimental My Grandmother Being There Guinness

Author:Stephen Lang

“In a rehearsal room, your real resource as an actor aren't the things around you; your resources are your imagination and your director and the other actors. In those close quarters, your imagination and your skills are what you turn to.”

Real Turns Actors Imagination Rooms Directors Skills Resources Quarters Rehearsal

Author:Stephen Lang

“With correction, and given the chance, 'Terra Nova' can and will deliver seasons of transcendent images and story-telling. 'Terra Nova' is the Hubble Telescope of television.”

Has Beens Stories Given Chance Failing Television Seasons Transcendent Corrections Scrap Telescopes Myopic Novas Hubble

Author:Stephen Lang

“As you get older, stuff starts to wear down. I can't play four basketball games a week anymore. It takes me three days to recover from one. I'm a little older, a little scrappier. So now I do yoga instead. And whatever else happens in the day, I'm set up in the best way possible. I feel great. I'm so flexible.”

Way Feels Littles I Can Play Happens Three Games Stuff Four Week Basketball Yoga Best Way Take Me Flexible Basketball Game

Author:Stephen Lang

About the Author

Born: July 11, 1952
Known for: Actor
Quotes: 46

Related Topics

Ifs Play Roles Thinking Want Way Actors Character Men People

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Similar Authors

Jesse EisenbergBrowse related quotes
Christopher WalkenBrowse related quotes
Kristen StewartBrowse related quotes
Morgan FreemanBrowse related quotes
Clint EastwoodBrowse related quotes
Kevin SpaceyBrowse related quotes
Meryl StreepBrowse related quotes
Michael CaineBrowse related quotes
Al PacinoBrowse related quotes
Andy SerkisBrowse related quotes