I played cops and robbers and pirates and all the rest when I was a kid, but I didn't want to grow up and be an actor and play cops and robbers and pirates. I wanted to grow up and be that, be cops and robbers and pirates. James Spader More Quotes by James Spader More Quotes From James Spader For me, when working on a film or play or television show, everything for me starts with the screenplay and I am devoted to that and that is what I work from. Any research I do or any preparation I do on my own is all ultimately in service of that. James Spader preparation research play Acting is a great way to make a living, especially when I consider what my alternatives were and probably still are. I mean, you are only making movies. It is a lot less pressure than being a surgeon; although it seemed like the only other thing that I was qualified for was manual labour. James Spader alternatives acting mean I think that Barack Obama faces a level of divisiveness, and I don't mean on a national level in terms of the North and the South and the Civil War; I really mean just politically. James Spader war mean thinking I think also there's no question that Lincoln has been diluted down through history in some way, almost by becoming as iconic as he is, in a way he's become diluted. James Spader becoming way thinking The first perk of theatre is the girls. James Spader theatre girl firsts Sometimes with people their work is the most important thing to them, and sometimes the work enables you to do other things that are more important to you. I probably am closer to that. James Spader important sometimes people I don't think movies or television have any basis in reality at all. It's all just pretend. That's what's fun about it. James Spader movie fun reality When doing theater, you have to find great satisfaction in the small things. There's going to be a repetition and a redundancy night after night, but it's the small variations in those moments - a word, a tone of voice, the smallest sense of enlightenment that can happen in an instant onstage - that will be the most rewarding. James Spader great you small-things night I'm not someone so much interested in exploring a slice of life unless that is down the corridor, around the corner, up the alley, and down the rabbit hole. That, I like. James Spader down someone like life I think the most significant change in my life is the decision to do a series. An hourlong dramatic television series on a broadcast network swallows you and chews you up and refuses to spit you out. You're making a decision that's going to be a profound and significant impact on the practical aspects of your life. James Spader my-life you change life The unknown is very appealing to me. I like to be surprised. I love the idea I might know less at the end of reading something than I do at the beginning. James Spader beginning me reading love I'm not a planner. I like to try something different, to just see what happens. James Spader something try see like If you find great difficulty in trying to reckon with the future or even the present, I think it's intuitive to start that process by reckoning with the past. James Spader great you future past The first perk of theater is the girls. James Spader perk first theater