Paul Giamatti's Quotes

Lead roles are fun, but I'm especially happy other, more colorful supporting stuff has come along.

Somehow whatever I play ends up being sleazy.

Sometimes, I think I may be more recognizable because I'm character-looking.

This whole business feels kind of intense, like a bad fit. Round peg, square hole. But whatever, I'll take it.

I always would be happy to make a character even more unlikable, but you know, there's a limit and if you go there, you get into a very different kind of movie, man.

I don't mind being stereotyped in some way and playing certain kinds of guys, but if I can find something to occasionally get a break from that, that would be nice. And I feel like I manage to.

I was the youngest child and got a lot more freedom than my brother and sister. I used to wander, doing my own thing under the radar, but I didn't get in bad, bad trouble.

It'd be disingenuous to say I don't like attention - I'm an actor for God's sake - and it's flattering and all, but attention was never my big goal. I just like to work and have a good time.

The supporting thing can be harder to pop in and out of. The hardest thing is the people who have to come in and play, say, the bartender for a day - that's a lot harder than playing the lead role. You have to pop in and get it right. It's a lot of pressure to just pop in there and fit in and find your footing really fast.

Well, you know, when people say stuff about you, it's always really flattering. But does it mean anything to me? It's not really real to me; there's no reality to it.

I find that the crazy narcissists, the selfish loons are often the most fun to be around, weirdly.

You are absolutely free to describe me as a turtle or something.

As an actor, to have achieved financial stability is amazing. But I always have this weird fear that I'm not going to get any more work; it's about not having enough money.

I suppose there must be some way in which I'm compelled to show some side of myself - or of people - that's paranoid and fraught and beleaguered and downtrodden, just as Tom Cruise wants to show that he's terrifyingly upbeat and terrifyingly heroic all the time.

Academia is a rarified culture, especially an Ivy League academic background.

Acting can be a really silly thing. It's like playing dress-up.

Am I really cool? You're telling me I'm cool? Well, that's good to hear.

I definitely had a top-notch education.

I definitely have a tendency to only see the blemishes of things, and see lots of things about my acting that I don't like.

I don't consider myself a very interesting person. I have the mentality of a supporting actor.

I don't mind talking about acting. I don't have anything interesting to say about it, but it's interesting talking about it.

I don't think film actors need training, really.

I get tired of myself pretty fast.