James Van Der Beek

“I'm kind of shocked that it's taken Hollywood so long to realize that so many great movie talents can come out of television. One of the reasons they do is that on TV you don't have the luxury of a film's big budget, and people have to compensate with creativity.”

“At a young age, acting was so inspiring and exciting, because to me it was play - make-believe, pretend.”

“I never wear white or black socks.”

“You are incredibly fortunate whatever success falls on you, which is what happened with me.”

“I always show up to work and give it everything, and some things turn out better than others - and some things you can expect that it will come out better than others.”

“You buy a house and you get it checked out and you feel like you've kind of made your mark here in some way. And then an act of God just comes up the coast and has the potential to just completely wipe it clean. Weather like that is certainly humbling.”

“In a way, you kind of get caught up in whatever image of yourself you think is out there.”

“I love sports and I love sports movies.”

“The less seriously you take yourself, the better work you're going to do.”

“Don't ever put anything past kids. They will surprise you in the best ways.”

“I'm pretty much your average, energy-saving-light-bulbs-recycling citizen.”

“A lot of movies you do because they're fun, they make people forget about their day.”

“I've never really had a problem with the imagination level of an audience. They're always smarter and savvier than any studio exec will give them credit for.”

“I think anybody with an insecurity, which is everyone, appreciates the fact that it's much easier to be a predator than it is to be prey.”

“I believe every religion captures a piece of the truth.”

“I'm not about to talk about what's romantic in my life - I figure if you talk about it once - then that's an open invitation for everyone to dig into your personal life even further.”

“I love New York City. Everyone is busy with their own lives - and no one is interested in some Hollywood celebrity walking past in downtown Manhattan. That's why it's my favorite city. You can do what you want without attracting a crowd of curious onlookers.”

“The more you make fun of yourself and don't try to go for any kind of respect, the more people seem to respect you.”