Chris Cooper

“You're at the mercy of the material. You've got to hope that it's good.”

“My viewpoint is the story could go on forever, because the seasons change, and the weather changes.”

“I'm always amazed at how much people 'get' when I'm not saying anything.”

“You get to a certain age and you're just glad to be working.”

“I've been a character actor my whole career, and I'm very happy with it.”

“I have to find a character who has a soul and a reason to be there.”

“It's a business of rejection. I was in my first play in the fifth grade. I was a tree. A talking tree.”

“The more I work, the more I'm learning, and I'm really enjoying it.”

“I'm not a big 'method' actor. I'm a big 'do your homework' actor.”

“I came to New York to be a stage actor and did that for a number of years.”

“If the material is good, I'll do it. It doesn't matter what the part is.”

“I think it's important to have had at least a few years of obscurity, where people treat you like everybody else.”