The difference between me and American-born actors is that I came here with the expectation of not being treated fairly.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I've often gone to start a film only to find the producers surprised to discover that I'm American.
I'm used to American actors who have a movie career thinking television acting is beneath them.
Acting was a way of me finding myself, which I think is the case of a lot of actors, regardless of where they come from.
As an actor, you come in contact with so many different people and cultures. It makes you a more accepting person.
I was born a character actor.
The great trap for non-American actors trying to play Americans, I think, is to start thinking of American-ness as a characteristic. It isn't. It is no more a character trait than height. It is just a physical fact, and that's all there is to it.
The sad truth for American actors is that they really have no control whatsoever over the material that they get, or can do, particularly actresses. And if you're over 40 and you're an actress, forget it.
So I built my entire career in the United States and that's why it feels like I'm an American actor.
I love America. I eagerly became a citizen. I have no bitterness toward those casting directors who dismissed me because of my accent, nor toward the producers and directors who wanted to cast me but thought the audience wouldn't accept my accent. I think they're selling their audience short.
I was never treated differently. I never felt like I was lesser or I was discriminated against. I've only experienced that after I became an actor.