When you're in a movie with Will Ferrell, well, it's time to at least sometimes throw the script away. And that character in 'Talladega Nights' I found a lot easier to kind of riff with because I related to it more, those kind of Southern, almost rednecky guys. That's a culture that I'm familiar with, that makes sense for me to spew.

Gary Cole

Categorized in : You Me Character Time

I miss everything about Chicago, except January and February. by Gary Cole

I miss everything about Chicago, except January and February.

chicago cities missing

Let’s focus on where you could end up, not where you were or are. by Gary Cole

Let’s focus on where you could end up, not where you were or are.

focus ends

I was initially a leading man, but only on television. by Gary Cole

I was initially a leading man, but only on television.

men television

It's always best not to be thinking a hell of a lot while you're acting, because you want it to be as spontaneous as possible, not too intellectual. Just behaving and listening to other people who you're doing scenes with. I always like the latter when it looks easy, even though it may not be.

listening-to-others people thinking

Good decisions don't make life easy, but they do make it easier. by Gary Cole

Good decisions don't make life easy, but they do make it easier.

easier decision easy

You always know when something works it's a result of everything... by Gary Cole

You always know when something works it's a result of everything firing on all cylinders.

cylinders working-it results

If someone comes up to me, 90 percent of the time it's about Offi... by Gary Cole

If someone comes up to me, 90 percent of the time it's about Office Space.

percent come-up office-space

The one nice thing about doing a character for a long time is, you begin to feel more comfortable, and you are thinking less and behaving more. It's always best not to be thinking a hell of a lot while you're acting, because you want it to be as spontaneous as possible, not too intellectual. Just behaving and listening to other people who you're doing scenes with. I always like the latter when it looks easy, even though it may not be.

nice character thinking

I will confess I did none of my own singing. I did all my own cos... by Gary Cole

I will confess I did none of my own singing. I did all my own costume and makeup, though.

costumes makeup singing

I think it had something to do with my love of music, especially... by Gary Cole

I think it had something to do with my love of music, especially rock music.

rocks music-love thinking

I messed around in high school, but I pretty much put it away until I did a television show in San Francisco.

san-francisco television school

Improv is not something I had a lot of experience with, because for a long time, my only experience in front of a camera was all television, which is pretty rigid script-wise, except for the occasional scene where you toss in an ad-lib just to elongate something. Like, say, you're walking down a hall and you just don't have enough dialogue, and you throw in something. But you don't really have time to do other than what's written. It's very rigid. Shows have a certain rhythm that nobody wants disturbed.

scene enough long

I love going to concerts, so that whole environment is something... by Gary Cole

I love going to concerts, so that whole environment is something that intrigues me anyway.

intrigue concerts environment

I still like to listen to the people that I came of age on. by Gary Cole

I still like to listen to the people that I came of age on.

stills age people

There is no handbook about how a career is going to go. by Gary Cole

There is no handbook about how a career is going to go.

careers

There is many different paths of a career. I bounce around and do a lot of different things. It suited me that hopefully I am prepared to do different kinds of styles, genres, or whatever you want to call it.

style different path

I grew up with Apocalypse Now and Badlands, so I had a real awe t... by Gary Cole

I grew up with Apocalypse Now and Badlands, so I had a real awe thing going.

apocalypse real fear

I just don't eat too much. That's never been my problem. by Gary Cole

I just don't eat too much. That's never been my problem.

too-much problem

I like the fact that this kind of family has been seen in a movie a million times: teenage kids, the family is a bit strained and they don't have enough money, but in the background the guy used to be a Gene Simmons type.

teenage guy kids

I think there is certainly luck and fate involved in any career of any kind. In show business, maybe it's even more true.

fate luck thinking