Bill Paxton

“I've had a career that is kind of under the radar, but it sure is varied, and I've been so blessed to be able to get paid to do something I love to do.”

“I think I got an Instamatic camera when I was 8 years old, and ever since then, I've liked to record things. I don't know why. Maybe it's just to kind of try to leave some kind of record behind.”

“I've always loved movies about con men. I think con men are as American as apple pie.”

“When you start out as a filmmaker, you do parodies, because you can't really compete on a studio level.”

“I don't care how much hardware you throw at an audience. If they are not emotionally invested in the thing, it's zero. I can name a slew of films, but I have no ax to grind. I understand the commerce of Hollywood probably better than anyone.”

“I came out to Hollywood when I was just 18, and my dad, he was really into Hollywood and theater and art, and I guess growing up, he exposed me to a lot of culture, and I just started making Super-8 films in high school and decided I wanted to be a filmmaker.”

“I'm actually really opposed to the death penalty.”

“In the old days the studios guided your career. Now it's all up to you.”

“It's become very popular in contemporary films to have the twist ending.”

“I grew up in Texas, but that was 20 years ago. Last year, in Fort Worth, they had hail the size of softballs. We're seeing more and more powerful storms, of all types, almost on a biblical level.”

“It's always good to have no expectations when you see a film. Then you can be pleasantly disappointed or surprised.”

“My father always read obituaries to me out loud, not because he was maudlin or morbid, but because they were mini biographies.”

“I've had a life where things have worked out for me beyond my wildest dreams, and my brother's had just the opposite.”

“Since I was a small boy, I was always around the game. I don't play golf much myself, but I love watching it. My father has played golf all his life.”

“It was so weird that I would end up directing 'The Greatest Game Ever Played,' because, y'know, I'm not a big golfer myself. But I grew up around the game. My mom and dad kind of built their dream house off the 11th fairway of Shady Oaks Country Club in Fort Worth.”

“I didn't have a normal background - I was completely demented from a very early age!”

“You don't really get to pick and chose what you would like to be doing. But I've been very fortunate, and I think water seeks its own level. You do gravitate towards things that you would get off on.”

“On the Internet, on IMDB, they've got that my middle name as Archibald. I don't have a middle name! My father doesn't like middle names.”

“In our game, it's your vanity that keeps you in shape. I've got a little gym set up, and I ride a single-speed bike up the hills behind my house. Lately I've been kind of a slacker. Usually it's a film role that makes me start getting in shape. Between roles, I try to do a little maintenance, but I'm not a workout fanatic at all.”

“I hate tests. It's a really lousy way to judge a person's ability.”