Quotes from Morris Chestnut

I'm not going to take my shirt off in every movie.

You start making movies and people start seeing when you go to places, and all of a sudden you are getting clothes for free and all of a sudden you are getting food for free.

I am just another fireman because the story focuses on Joaquin Phoenix's character, but I play Joaquin's close friend and I get burned up a little bit, but I don't die.

I would like more challenging roles. I definitely would like to something that's more challenging.

I enjoy what I do, but it's more challenging than people think.

Sometimes the stereotypes that a lot of people have are of black men in jail or who don't take care of their kids, so I think it's always important to have that.

And I think from a male perspective, we have men talking about their feelings and it being okay.

I've been in a situation where I was after the money.

I'm getting to the point where they see me as a good actor, rather than just a good guy who can act.

I do feel that movies and music do have the power to slightly influence a person's decision. I believe that if violence is not in a person, then the film is not going to encourage them.

I'm just happy to be working consistently.

There are a lot of people in this business that don't work consistently.

Action films are emotionally and physically draining, and you're dirty and sweaty. In a romantic comedy, you have to have your fingernails perfect, you're in air-conditioned rooms the whole time.

You go from movies where you are wearing nice clothes and you're trying to smell good to a movie where you are in water and you are wet all day, and you are dealing with that elements, it gets rough, but it was definitely something I wanted to try.

I hate being cold and I hate being wet and around 80% percent of this film I was cold and another 60% I was cold and wet, so it wasn't the best shoot for me.

Nah, I'm not a prima donna, but I just don't like being cold and wet.

I want to tell stories for everyone, primarily.

Producing is easier, I can just be at the set overseeing the story.

I did a film which was considered an independent movie with Dustin Hoffman and Andy Garcia called Confidence, and that's the type of film I was willing to take a chance on that because of the caliber of people involved with the film.

It's hard when you see a scene where it's raining, and we have the rain machine, and you see it for 5 minutes, but that scene takes all day to shoot, and you do it with rain, and the dry off, and go back and do it again.

I think that Mos Def is the best actor, but when you talk about rappers in films, I don't really think the quality of the acting is most important because most rappers are put in movies because of the personality and people want to see that.

At one point, people thought that Eddie Murphy would only reach one sector of the audience, but now everyone sees everything Eddie Murphy does.

I think it's just growth, and development, timing. I've been fortunate to be around for a long time. Allowed me to get better as an actor. Allowed me to play better roles.

When you are the lead in a romantic comedy, you have to worry about people really liking you.