Gary Sinise

“'The Stand' came out in May of '94 and was seen by 60 million people a night for four nights, and then two months later, 'Forrest Gump' opened. So within a very short time, I went from being depressed about not getting any work to being in two of the most popular shows of the year.”

“It's always been my dream to do a dance scene with Anthony Hopkins.”

“I save money when I'm working so that I never have to take a role simply to pay the bills.”

“Before discovering theater, I was sloughing off and didn't have any passion for school. Then I couldn't get enough. All of a sudden, I was getting good parts in all of these plays. I just loved it. I started getting A's in acting, directing and technical theater. I found something that clicked.”

“I'm not like one of those actors who's a frustrated director.”

“Wherever I go for the military, they always call me Lt. Dan. They just can't help it.”

“You've got to keep taking certain risks, because my priority is in acting, it's not in movie stardom.”

“Have I done more business-related things to help my career grow? Yeah. I took the business end more seriously, hooked up with a manager, got some help, because at a certain point, you get frustrated when you go do auditions, and people say you did a great job, and then you don't get he part.”

“Unless you have a long-running series, most actors just go job to job if you're lucky to keep working. You just do a movie or a play or a TV thing, and it's over at some point.”

“The wonderful drama teacher at my high school, Barbara Patterson, saw me standing in the hall and told me I should audition for 'West Side Story.' I guess she thought I looked like a gang member.”

“My wife's a loving, funny, Irish-spirited person, and I'm still surprised at some of the things she says. She makes me laugh every day.”

“I can honestly say that I've done everything I've wanted to do, always. Not without difficulty. But every time I wanted to do something, I just did it, from the age of 18 when I started my own theater with my friends. When I decided I wanted to act. I just bit the bullet.”

“There's always the ongoing actor frustration of finding the great role to do next. I don't go to work a lot. I wait as long as I can until the money runs out or a great part comes along.”

“Sometimes you're in great demand. Then suddenly your career hits the breaks.”

“But I've got more to learn, too. I don't feel like I'm done or I know it all.”

“I was always fascinated with rock 'n' roll, or girls, or something like that when I was a kid.”

“I'm thrilled I can make a living doing something I enjoy.”

“Well, I've been to Iraq twice now. I was in Baghdad in June and then north of Baghdad in November.”

“I'm not registered to any party. I don't really play in the political world. I'm really more interested in getting things done.”