Stephen Lang
Stephen Lang
Stephen Langis an American actor and playwright. He started in Broadway theatre, but is more widely known for his film roles in Gods and Generalsand Avatar. From 2004 to 2006, he was a co-artistic director of the Actors Studio...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth11 July 1952
CityNew York City, NY
CountryUnited States of America
careers changed changed-my-life
I wouldn't say 'Avatar' changed my life, but it definitely changed my career.
focus hitting lines
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.
successful advice get-better
My advice to actors? To successful actors, it's, 'sock it away,' and unsuccessful actors, it's just, 'Just keep at it. Don't do it unless you have to do it, and if you have to do it, keep - you've got to keep your instrument in shape.' You just got to keep on getting better. If you're not getting better, you're standing still.
different roles location
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.
proud imagine exciting
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.
commitment play roles
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.
kids voice soul
I've played the clarinet since I was a kid. I love to sing, but I'm not much of a singer. Let's say that when it comes to vocalizing, I have the soul of Billy Bigelow but the voice of Jigger Cragan.
sunday men thinking
Occasionally, I have time to go to the theater, and I think for a minute, 'Man, I'd really love to be doing a play right now.' Because I loved doing plays when I was doing them. Then I think, 'I want to do it right now, but will I want to do that Sunday matinee in six weeks?'
clown used playing-god
I have a penchant for playing God's clowns. Actually, I played Nijinsky once, and he used to call himself God's clown.
race people want
I don't want to, in any way, characterize a race or a people or get accused of racial profiling, but the Irish, as lyrical and romantic as they can be in their poetry, they can be every bit as repressed in their personal relations.
dug exposure imported loved minute movies performance pirates playing soldier took whether
In the movies, I loved Errol Flynn whether he was playing a soldier or a pirate. I dug pirates. In fact, my first exposure to live performances was when my paternal grandfather took me to a D'Oyly Carte performance of 'The Pirates of Penzance' which impresario Sol Hurok imported from London. I loved every minute of it.
buddy charges difference grenade jumps machine man next tiny
I've always been curious about why one man jumps out of a foxhole with a grenade and charges a machine gun nest, and his buddy next to him sits there cowering. And my feeling is that the difference is tiny between the two.
few fortunate last might primarily ride wave
'Beyond Glory' is responsible for this wave that I've been fortunate enough to ride for the last few years. And that I did primarily because I didn't know what else to do. You might say I did it out of desperation.
continue fought righteous war wars
I think that war is diplomacy by other means, for sure, and there have been wars that have been fought for righteous reasons. There are wars that have had to be fought, and there will probably continue to be.