I am very happy acting, and just have never gone at, or been bitten by the directing bug to the extent where I'm willing to put acting aside. If offered the opportunity, I think I could do a good job with the right material. Stephen Lang More Quotes by Stephen Lang More Quotes From Stephen Lang Theater, because of the commitment, it has to be a great role and a great play to me. It takes a lot out of you. Stephen Lang roles play commitment I can't imagine a more profoundly exciting experience than I had working on 'Avatar.' And whether I'm ever part of it again, I'll always be very proud that I was a part of it. Stephen Lang imagine proud exciting I get a lot of people coming up to me and saying, "I really hate you." And they say it in the nicest possible way and I accept it. It's the people who come up to you and say, "I really liked your character. Man, he was right!" Those are the ones you worry about. Stephen Lang hate character men I like to understand, very specifically, what it is I'm seeing, and where it is and where it's going, and a lot of that is just hitting the mark and following the dotted line. But, that's good too because there's concentration and focus that's involved in that. Stephen Lang hitting lines focus I love the stage. It's terrifying in a way that film and television is not. When you're about to go out, and you're adrenaline just gets out of control, and that can be really daunting. Stephen Lang film-and-television stage way With correction, and given the chance, 'Terra Nova' can and will deliver seasons of transcendent images and story-telling. 'Terra Nova' is the Hubble Telescope of television. Stephen Lang myopic telescopes stories My criteria for doing theater has always been slightly different than my criteria with movies, in that there are a lot of reasons to do films, having to do with location, money, and first and foremost having to do with script and role and director. Stephen Lang roles different directors There are themes that somehow stir me and that I find very interesting. They're themes that deal with leadership, the nature of bravery and courage, and how to define those. Stephen Lang theme bravery interesting I have a penchant for playing God's clowns. Actually, I played Nijinsky once, and he used to call himself God's clown. Stephen Lang playing-god clown used My philosophy is, 'Show up, shut up, and do your job,' and if you do it to the satisfaction of your director and the public, you're likely to be able to do it again. Stephen Lang jobs philosophy directors When Steven Spielberg comes calling, it behooves you to seriously consider it. Stephen Lang calling I am very fond of the people, landscape, poetry, music, history and the Guinness. Being there makes me think of my mother and my grandmother - always sentimental and warm thoughts. Stephen Lang mother people thinking I always have a contract with a character. Even when he's unappealing. The contract is to give him his due. To tell his story. And to keep his secrets. Stephen Lang secret giving character Hamlet, that's the only role there is, finally. The only role. After that, you settle down and only do the fun things on stage. Stephen Lang down-and roles fun As you get older, stuff starts to wear down. I can't play four basketball games a week anymore. It takes me three days to recover from one. I'm a little older, a little scrappier. So now I do yoga instead. And whatever else happens in the day, I'm set up in the best way possible. I feel great. I'm so flexible. Stephen Lang yoga basketball games I've always been curious as to why one man jumps out of a fox-hole with a grenade and charges a machine gun nest and his buddy, who sits right there next to him, sits there cowering. My feeling is that the different is tiny between the two. Stephen Lang gun men two My Hamlet was about as alienated as you can get. Mine was a bitter and lonely prince. Valid, I think, but maybe tough to root for. I think that romance was missing. Stephen Lang lonely roots thinking I loved Laurel and Hardy and TV shows like 'Robin Hood' and 'Rama of the Jungle'. Stephen Lang rama tv-shows robins I was relatively buff (before 'Avatar'), because I was working in a tanktop half the time on stage, anyway, but I just went kind of into hyperdrive after that and really worked to beat that old body into shape, to get that carcass where...I didn't want to be looking at it and see anything hanging where it shouldn't be hanging. Stephen Lang shapes body half When you want to learn about something, what is the first thing you do... you go to the internet. Stephen Lang internet want firsts