When 'The Pacific' came around, I had to audition the old-fashioned way. It was the casting director and then the producer and then another producer and another producer and then Spielberg and Hanks.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Not long after 'The Pacific,' I began shooting the comedy 'Larry Crowne,' which was also with Tom Hanks, who also directed and plays the title character.
I come from a huge theater background. The whole action and stunt world just came as the roles were available.
I auditioned equally for film and theater. The difference is that theater has seasons, while film, it's always happening.
I was lucky - the first eight productions I auditioned for, I got cast.
I came to New York to be an actor and I became a film producer first.
I enjoyed playing the dual role of an actor and producer.
My family took a vacation to Universal Studios when I was really young. Me and my brother Richard - who's also an actor - were both really intrigued by seeing the behind-the-scenes stuff of how films are made. We kind of begged our parents to get into acting.
I danced in a company of 'West Side Story' when I was very young. It was most of the original cast - Larry Kert, Chita Rivera - and Jerry Robbins directed. It was tough, a wonderful initiation for me.
When I was coming up, everybody wanted to be Tom Hanks. There was always Robert De Niro and Al Pacino - they were the heavily dramatic stuff. I always had a foot in both camps. The hardest thing was to resist the advice to be like someone else. It took me a while to figure that out.
I was never a part of the Actor's Studio, because two friends of mine started it in 1947 and by that time I'd gone to California.