Jimmy Smits

“I don't feel I have to acknowledge how I'm doing by an award.”

“When you're 27 million strong, no one can tell you that you don't belong or expect you to just move along.”

“'West Wing' was a show about politics.”

“At first, I took theater courses on the side. Then, theater became my minor; then it was my major.”

“I always grapple with myself, from job to job, 'Is this going to make an impact in some way?'”

“I feel a responsibility to try and give back. I see young people out there who are trained, and any way I can help them and give them an opportunity is gratifying.”

“I have and will continue to vigorously pursue opportunities in all mediums.”

“I worked on a show called 'West Wing' before. I didn't work with Aaron Sorkin, but he created the show and set the tenor of the show, which was you follow the words of the script perfectly because there's a dramaturgical thing behind it.”

“There's something so familial and intimate between a boxer and his trainer.”

“You gotta find that hook so everybody can grab on to it. So that you're true to the culture but, at the same time, how it relates to the larger tapestry.”

“California has been very good to me in terms of the professional arena.”

“You can't get so serious as to not realize that what we do is entertainment, but when you have the chance to provoke thought or advance discussion on a topic, it's just the icing on the cake.”

“What's on the page dictates a lot of what I do. When the words are there, it's easy.”

“I grew up in New York City, and I've got wonderful memories of the Fourth of July fireworks.”

“We tend to think of World War II and all the atrocities that happened, and people say, 'Never again.' But these things are still happening. The Amnesty International files are big.”

“Growing up in New York, we lived all around the city depending on our economic circumstance. I also lived in Puerto Rico for a number of years.”

“For me, the bottom line is what's on the page.”

“I have carried the burden of being a role model for some time. And that's great. The body of work I've done has afforded me that opportunity.”

“It just makes you feel proud, more than anything else, that the work has in some way transcended itself.”

“How come actors feel like they have to give some kind of personal revelation attached to the project?”