It's thrilling to be onstage and to not know, literally, what the next moment is going to bring. To just submit to the not-knowing-ness of it. Norbert Leo Butz More Quotes by Norbert Leo Butz More Quotes From Norbert Leo Butz In the play we have the messy he-loves-her, she-loves-him, she-loves-him-too structure, and, to add even more confusion to the mix, the real love story is between the two ladies. Norbert Leo Butz real play two I hate sitting around a table and talking about what a play might mean. I'm the person who's always like, 'Can we get up on our feet and just do it? Norbert Leo Butz hate talking mean I have 10 brothers and sisters. Norbert Leo Butz brothers-and-sisters brother I make decisions quickly. Norbert Leo Butz decision If you are opening a play, a play that's really about something, a play that's really about ideas, you have to find a way to sell that play. Norbert Leo Butz play way ideas If you individualize an audience, it helps up the stakes of your responsibility to that audience. Norbert Leo Butz stakes responsibility helping I don't know if Jesus said it in the Bible, but someone said that 'the love of money is the root of all evil,' and I do think there's a correlation between the ambition that a lot of people have, in terms of financial remuneration, and the loss of core values. Norbert Leo Butz ambition loss jesus I was in the original cast of Wicked, and that got a bad review in The New York Times, and it’s the most successful thing that’s ever been put onstage. Norbert Leo Butz wicked successful new-york I am the most successful unsuccessful actor in New York. And I guess with that, maybe apparent only to myself, there started to be a very subtle but unmistakable whiff of entitlement, bitterness, jealousy. I was not respecting the work. Norbert Leo Butz i-am myself jealousy work I got my Actors' Equity card officially by playing Nana the dog in 'Peter Pan' at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. That was the first show I did as a full-fledged, dues-paying member; I earned points in my MFA program, then went into the company after I graduated. Norbert Leo Butz show playing company dog I have an acting crush on Gene Hackman; I have an acting crush on Tommy Lee Jones. Gary Cooper. Jimmy Cagney. Michael Gambon. Simon Russell Beale. Norbert Leo Butz gene michael crush acting I love it when people take contemporary songs and find a narrative or a theatrical way of telling it. Norbert Leo Butz find love people way I survived in high school by working at Kentucky Fried Chicken and made my way up to assistant manager. I was surviving high school and college with that job. Norbert Leo Butz job high-school way school Sometimes, you don't know what's going to happen to your character until the night before you shoot the scene. So, sometimes, you get a great big surprise at the very last minute, which is scary sometimes. You don't have a whole lot of time to prepare. Norbert Leo Butz you time character night I've sort of left the theater just for little shoots here and there - little one-off series or small roles in films or whatever. Norbert Leo Butz whatever small just left I used to do a lot of repertory theater. You're playing different roles all the time, and I love that. Norbert Leo Butz you different time love I've never seen 'Mad Men.' I've never seen 'Breaking Bad.' I've never seen 'The Sopranos.' These sort of seminal shows. Norbert Leo Butz never bad mad men I actually have seven brothers in real life, and we're all very close in age. We basically go no more than two years between any of us. Norbert Leo Butz go real age life Sam Shepard is - I didn't tell this to Sammy, but if I had to point to one artist that made me want to do this for my life, it's Sam Shepard. Norbert Leo Butz my-life me artist life Most of my work in New York has been on new musicals. And all through the preview process, they throw you new songs, new lyrics, new choreography, new scripts; you're constantly getting new material. You might get it in the morning and put it in the show at night. It happens every single day, so those muscles are pretty toned. Norbert Leo Butz day you work morning