Chris Messina

“My mom was a dance teacher, so she put me in dance school when I was a kid. I did everything. I used to take ballet.”

“I'm lucky to just be a working actor. There are so many great actors out there and I'm just lucky to have gotten work.”

“I am a big fan of movies from the '70s.”

“Doing something like 'Damages,' I played a character with post-traumatic stress. I was playing with sleep deprivation. I was not sleeping; I stayed up for three days at a time, drinking Red Bull. I would get shaky and tired and hyper.”

“It's always flattering when somebody you really respect and like wants you to be involved in their project - let alone writes a part with your voice in mind.”

“The main thing about doing a comedy is that you spend most of your days really happy and laughing.”

“When I'm doing a drama, I like to find the comedy; when I'm doing a comedy, I like to find the heart and drama.”

“Honestly, one of my favorite things about a director is when they understand what an actor brings to their role.”

“Probably the best part about being an actor is that you get to be a traveling wanderer.”

“When you do a play, you do it for a couple months, and it just gets in your bones. You can learn about somebody that way.”

“I did a lot of small black-box theater in New York when I was starting out. I'd get a group of actors together to do workshops and readings. And I ended up directing three or four productions.”

“I'm from Long Island. Strong Island.”

“I like romance in films. I like love in films.”

“I like talking about acting. I'm comfortable talking about acting.”

“A lot of acting, as I grew up wanting to do, is kind of like magic... I'm not comparing myself to him in the least bit, but if you knew what Daniel Day-Lewis was doing every step of the way and what he was eating, I don't think when he popped up as Lincoln we would quite believe it.”

“I think as an actor, you're constantly putting yourself out there, and a lot of times failing - and failing in front of a bunch of people - and sometimes you have a good moment and something clicks.”

“How precise you need to be when you're in a comedy, and the honesty you need and to have those two things meet up and have the execution just right, I always found very difficult.”

“I was in a movie called 'Before & After' with Meryl Streep. I was edited out of the movie, but no one told me. I think I was 18 or 19 years old. I sat across from her and asked her every question about acting. I completely embarrassed myself.”

“I love 'Boardwalk Empire.' I really love that world. I love that style. I love all the actors on it.”

“Ultimately, making movies, if you don't have a big star, it's hard to do. Or if it's not a star director.”