“No disrespect to the current judges but you need people who are global, platinum-selling stars. You need to prepare contestants for what it’s really like out there, and what sort of pressure you are going to be under. So much average talent comes out of these reality shows. A hip-hop star will never win a show like the X Factor without somebody like me on the panel. It needs somebody in power to open a door for them.†—Eminem [Contact Music]
“It’s a difficult thing to say, but I believe it: I consider my entire movie career a complete failure. I’ll tell you why. The goal of moviemaking is to star in a film where your performance drives the film, and the film is either a soaring critical or commercial success, and I never had that.†—Alec Baldwin [Men’s Journal via NYDN]
“I really haven’t rubbed anyone the wrong way. I think you’re referring to some cast members from Star Trek. I’ve asked them numerous times to see if I can assuage their bitterness. I don’t know what their problem is, quite frankly, so I’ve given up on trying to make it better. I don’t like any ill-feeling, and if there was something I could do to correct it I would. But nothing seems to work.†—William Shatner [NYP]
“Tobey has a real everyman quality — he’s like an electric Jimmy Stewart. He appears like a swan on the surface, and the audience likes him and trusts him. But there’s a real [expletive] edge to him as well. In close-up, you can tell there’s a lot going on in his head, but he’s a bit of a poker player because you’re not exactly sure what he’s thinking.†—Jim Sheridan on the elusive Tobey Maguire [Boston Globe]
“More people saw the pilot of Glee than saw me in my entire 10-year career on Broadway. But people feel more of a connection to you because they see you in their living rooms.†—Glee’s Matthew Morrison [Parade]
“No matter how bad things get—you know, no matter how tough life is, it’s always preferable to be a good guy, to be kind. You are going to feel better afterwards, no matter how tempted you are to be violent or brutal. This movie really earns that conclusion. It’s uplifting to realize that there are people who, no matter how difficult the physical or emotional tests they’re going through in life, somehow do the right thing anyway, not because there’s a reward for it, not because anybody else is watching, just because it’s the right thing to do.†—Viggo Mortensen on lessons learned from The Road [Parade]