John C. Reilly Quotes

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John C. Reilly

Profession : Actor

Birth : May 24, 1965

There's so much joy in doing comedy work, and that's one of the reasons I like to do it - because it's just a hilarious day at work.

John C. Reilly

Really if you look at my filmography, there's something for everyone!

John C. Reilly

I'm not of the manor born; I've never felt entitled in that way. I just came to Hollywood to be an actor. All that lifestyle stuff is something to be managed.

John C. Reilly

It's thought of as an eccentric thing for an actor to really try to maintain quality control through the whole career. Most people think, 'You just work. You just keep working.' And in some ways I wish I could be a guy who's just a workhorse.

John C. Reilly

Most boys' first hero is their father. That was definitely true of my dad. He was a proud Irish American and he taught me a lot about ethics and responsibility. He also introduced me to a lot of wonderful folk music.

John C. Reilly

Here's the thing, with comedy - and I learned this from Will Ferrell - you can't be ashamed. If you're doing comedy, you have to fully commit to the joke. Shame is not part of it. If you act shy or uncomfortable about your body, that makes the audience shy and uncomfortable. And in a comedy you just want them to loosen up and laugh.

John C. Reilly

I love that people can't place me. They don't know my name. That's 'mission accomplished' in my world.

John C. Reilly

This is real human drama, we're not creating some amusement park ride for the summer. Even though the movie is really exciting to watch, it's got a real pathos behind it.

John C. Reilly

For a while I had a blues band in L.A., but I realized I was too optimistic to play the blues. I did not have the misery in my heart that the blues required.

John C. Reilly

Once you become tagged as anything, it becomes difficult to shake it, because the less imaginative people in the business want you to do what worked for the last guy. That's always been something I've had to deal with.

John C. Reilly

One of the reasons people find me a believable actor is that I don't seem like one of the gods from Olympus. I seem like someone who was lucky enough to be let into Olympus.

John C. Reilly

A lot of times, good improv is when both people, or however many people are in the scene, really have no idea what the next thing you're going to say is.

John C. Reilly

I give as much as I can, and it's up to someone else to turn it into a movie. Good luck to you!

John C. Reilly

Why people pick me for the roles that they do is a bit of a mystery.

John C. Reilly

I like being employed, you know. That's my favorite kind of acting.

John C. Reilly

Young people can be annoying, let's face it. But they can also be really refreshing to be around and full of enthusiasm.

John C. Reilly

When I first joined SAG, there was another John Reilly. My dad was John Reilly, too, but growing up I was John John. Nobody in life calls me John C. It's more like, 'Hey you, Step Brother!'

John C. Reilly

I was a solid C student because I was doing so many plays. I was a drama nerd, but I was also kind of a Zelig-like character; I would shift between different groups of people. But the people I spent most of my time with were either chorus or swing choir or the drama nerds.

John C. Reilly

I'm a big fan of the 'Harry Potter' movies and 'The Lord of the Rings' films.

John C. Reilly

Hollywood is an illusion. These intense workplaces, with very close relationships, a few months at a time - and then it ends.

John C. Reilly