My dad used to say, 'You have to become part of the machine to beat the machine,' and there's some validity in it. But honestly, even when I'm inside the machine, you still see me. I stick out a little… — Michael Shannon Copy Share Image
I want to focus on each scene. I'm a real perfectionist, and I don't want to feel like I didn't consider every possible variation of a scene. I come from a theater background, so I'm used to a lot of… — Michael Shannon Copy Share Image
I like to play characters that get to do it all - to have a bit of comedy here and a bit of pathos… — Michael Shannon Copy Share Image
A lot of times people will send me stuff. They will find something and they will send it to me and then I will… — Michael Shannon Copy Share Image
The most fascinating part of movies is the organism of the movie - it's such a bizarre thing to do, to make a movie.… — Michael Shannon Copy Share Image
One of the reasons I got into acting to begin with is that I was trying to figure out how life worked. It was… — Michael Shannon Copy Share Image
Theater is the best. That's where you get the work done. You just really get in there and figure something out about a story… — Michael Shannon Copy Share Image
I've never worried about anything in my life a fraction of the way I worry about my daughter. It's much more than hoping people… — Michael Shannon Copy Share Image
A lot of times the characters I play tend to be kind of loners or they don't have best friends or best buddies. — Michael Shannon Copy Share Image
The stage is a routine. It keeps you grounded, like a metronome. I find that soothing. — Michael Shannon Copy Share Image
If you are going to be on TV for however many years, you want to make sure that you have writers that are giving… — Michael Shannon Copy Share Image
I've always been happy just to be working. It doesn't really matter for me how many people are familiar with my name or my… — Michael Shannon Copy Share Image
When you see a struggle that you may be having personally put on a big screen and in a roomful of people, then it… — Michael Shannon Copy Share Image
I certainly don't want to have too many pre-conceived notions before I show up because then you might be cutting yourself off from the… — Michael Shannon Copy Share Image
