Mike Colter: It's always fun to play a character that bends the rules.

History repeats itself over and over again, but most of us have short memories.

Mike Colter

short-memory history-repeats-itself memories

Never say "never" about anything, because if you do, life has a way of humbling you.

Mike Colter

humbling never-say-never way

Never take anything at face value. Dare to question and seek the truth.

Mike Colter

face-value dare faces

A lot of times in life, women want to talk, but men don't want to listen, and if they do want to listen, they turn it back to themselves.

Mike Colter

turns want men

The awkward thing is the people in the room besides us. It's not us. It's just the 20 or 30 people that are around on set, who normally wouldn't be on set. That's always interesting.

Mike Colter

awkward people interesting

As professionals, we just try to keep the jokes to a minimum, when we're in a certain situation. When we're not doing that, we're joking.

Mike Colter

situation certain trying

Sometimes you meet someone at an inopportune moment and it doesn't work out, but then you see them again five years later and you're in different places and it's a better time.

Mike Colter

work-out different years

I'll get a nice little break, after doing Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. Whether I'm in [his show], I don't know, but there's The Defenders.

Mike Colter

cages nice littles

I guess it's a bit cliché, but as an actor, I really admire good writing. There are a lot of great ideas out there, but it's the execution that really makes it work.

Mike Colter

actors writing ideas

When I find material that gives me a natural yet unique character point of view and has well - developed characters throughout the script, it makes the hairs on my arm stand up.

Mike Colter

unique hair character

When something tragic happens in the world and I realize that, for the most part, I am powerless to stop it.

Mike Colter

tragic realizing world

I rarely feel like I'm in chaos, but when I am, I usually [retreat] and try to find the eye of the storm; if I'm still and listen and don't engage, maybe the chaos will subside.

Mike Colter

storm eye trying

I don't have a routine, but I have used meditation to just decompress and focus.

Mike Colter

routine focus meditation

The primary thing that I enjoy about Luke Cage is that he has a morality about him but it's conflicted. He's never sure what the right move is, but he at least contemplates it. He's a not a rash character. It's that thoughtfulness that I really identify with.

Mike Colter

morality character moving

This show [Jessica Jones] was exploring the aftermath, and that is unique. You're sitting there going, "I know what happens. This is the aftermath." You watch her daily life and how she dealt with people, like new prospects for love or friends that were close to her, but she didn't know if she could trust them or if they were enemies.

Mike Colter

unique people enemy

As a male, I thought the female voice was so strong, unique, real and accessible to most females. In some way, shape or form, they felt like they could relate to it, on some level, because they went through some form of unspeakable horror like what Kilgrave did to Jessica [Jones]. That, in itself, is something that most people shy away from, even in shows that are on cable or in movies.

Mike Colter

strong unique real

I'm pretty relaxed on what people should be able to do as long as they're not hurting anybody else.

Mike Colter

hurt long people

In real life, people end up doing things because it's convenient and it works for them. You don't get up every day regretting what you're doing.

Mike Colter

regret real people

The writers are very good about misdirection and changeups, and that's what's great about it. We always think we know what's going to happen and then they throw a curveball that you don't see coming.

Mike Colter

misdirection curveballs thinking

As an actor you just want to continue to work on things that you like. You can be in this business a long time and consistently working and just be totally artistically unfulfilled.

Mike Colter

actors want long