Quotes from Mekhi Phifer

Wales was great. The people were great, and I had a great time there.

I always try to pick and choose projects that will be impactful to someone. From films like 'Clockers' to playing a doctor on 'ER' to doing '8 Mile,' where I'm in charge of the hip-hop battles, I think it affects all kinds of different audiences. And I just try to keep that in mind, to keep people entertained.

I do like sci-fi, absolutely. I've watched everything from 'Star Trek' to 'Star Wars' to 'Terminator' - the list goes on and on.

My favorite song is Eminem's 'Rap God.' That joint is just incredible, It's six-and-a-half minutes of him just crushing the whole game. It's so different from what I hear if I listen to the radio.

I know a lot of people who are weak, who are in a perpetual cycle of poverty and being locked up. There are guys from my neighborhood who are in jail or who are dead. It does take a certain strength to know your environment and say, 'I can grow beyond it.'

Anytime you join a show that's been successful, there's a certain responsibility. And a lot of anxiety that, you know, you're bringing the character to life, respecting the show and doing your part. So that you are not the weak link in the chain.

I'm an avid watcher of the Nat Geo channel, where I watch shows about how the planets are formed, and shows about moons, quasars, black holes.

It's always a pleasure when you get to work with people that you actually really like.

Being from New York, living in L.A., being in Chicago, you kind of get more of the big-city, melting-pot sort of thing. But when you drive through the country, there's so many small pockets of people that don't experience people of different backgrounds. So what they've seen on television is their baseline.

Once or twice a week, I try to do some kind of boxing. I'm hitting the bags and jumping rope - all that stuff.

I love kids, outings, camping, sports, Legoland, all the Daddy stuff. I love it. I wish I could just do that, but I have to work, too.

I love working with Sally Field, and Steve Buscemi is one of the most giving, talented actors I've ever worked with.

I love character-driven, well-written, great storytelling types of films, and I think that 'My Cousin Vinny' just hit the nail on the head with everything. It's one of those movies that, if I'm flipping through the channels, no matter what part it's on, I can watch it. It's just one of my favorites.

I always try to bring a certain masculine presence to what I do. That is part of the dynamic.

A lot of characters I've played have a certain amount of strength, pride, and leadership.

If you go into something saying, 'I'm the bad guy,' you do yourself a disservice as an actor. It's always about trying to find the humanity in a character.

I want to see my family prosper, see my kids grow old.

'Mekhi' means, sort of, one who loves water, and the relationship with water and how water is important to life... It's a sense of being needed and purpose - you know, we have a purpose on this earth, and we're here to fill that.

I definitely applaud Netflix and all of those guys, whether it's Hulu or whoever, for doing original programming.

I love anything that really pushes the envelope as far as where it takes your mind. When it's well written and brings you into a world that possibly could be, I think that's the most entertaining for me - to see something that could actually take place and causes you to think.

It's nice to always have been able to remain consistent. I'm very thankful for that and to work on shows that I can be proud of, and films.

I almost turned down '8 Mile.' I was due to start 'ER,' and I learned they really wanted me to be in '8 Mile.' I didn't know Eminem; I just knew he was a rapper and saw what everyone else saw in the media. I thought they were just trying to capitalize on his popularity.

When break dancing was out, I break danced. When rapping was the thing, I freestyled rap on the street and battled and all that kind of stuff.

Actors look at life in a different way. When I meet people, I know that one day I may portray that person or someone like them. It may be a cop or a homeless guy. It helps you to pay more attention to people. Everyone I meet, I retain something from them, something from their personality. It helps me to portray realism in my work.