Quotes from Paul Giamatti

Somehow whatever I play ends up being sleazy.

When I did 'Lady in the Water,' the most exciting thing to me was to get to work with Bob Balaban - I couldn't leave the guy alone. I drove him crazy. He's fantastic and a hilarious guy.

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

I don't feel like I've ever done anything - even 'Big Momma's House' - that I didn't really have some desire to do.

I don't really have any opinion about my performance in 'Big Momma's House.'

I did a movie called 'American Splendor', based on the comic book writer Harvey Pekar.

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

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 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.

I played old men back in drama school. It's just now that I'm drawing level with the age of the characters I play, but I'm fine with that, and I've certainly never envied people who became hugely famous when they were young.

I learned how to fire a sniper rifle, which I'm sure will be useful at some point.

If I play a more aggressive, stronger guy, I often go through my day feeling a bit better than when I play somebody who's not.

I felt like I did lots of crappy work in the past. I can't even tell.

I like to work - I probably work too much.

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 still want to be the guy who can get on the subway and check out the freak on the subway.

It's funny: most people who recognize me on the subway and stuff - it's much more they think of me as a funny guy. I get much more of people telling me how much I make them laugh, actually. Which is nice.

Do you know Don Coscarelli? 'Bubba Ho-Tep?' That's one of my favorite movies in the world. And I love the 'Phantasm' movies.

I want to be a villain with steel hands or something. I want to be the crazy, world-domination-obsessed villain. I would love to be a Bond villain.

I've got to be the geekiest guy in the world in a lot of ways. I'm like a zeta male.

The white male is one of the easiest things to be. There's always a job; there's always something for you to do.

I definitely had a top-notch education.

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.

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