I was 16 and did a play at school. I was a rather good student... And then I did a play when I was 16 and completely lost all my concentration for academics.
When you mimic everyone sometimes authority figures really don't appreciate it which is not an original story. And pretty much every comedian has some tale of that.
The Iraq War. No one took to the streets over it. It certainly would have been appropriate. If anybody even hinted we should... you were called un-American and not supporting the troops.
I've done literally 100 150 different characters. Some of them have only appeared for a line or three. But the point is every sound I can make has been harvested.
You have to always physicalize when you do animation recording. Otherwise you won't get the performance right.
[Kids] are just like annoying short people
I put a tremendous amount of pressure on myself. I felt like I shouldn't have to audition for anything and all that. And that energy did not serve me at all.
I guess for me the greatest injustice is to see people robbed of that interiority and process of association.
I ask for a lot of advice from different fathers - all kinds of dads.
I had kind of sworn off network TV a while ago.
I would love to do Broadway again.
I love acting but I want to explore other things.
A self-help book can't really address a problem unless it's individualized. It's not going to talk about a globalized problem.
I tend to not watch things that are current. And then if everybody swears it's amazing then I'll like watch the whole series in a weekend.
I was hedging my bets by the time I got to college. I was interested in drama and journalism and psychology.
That's a true actor's nightmare: "Improvise in British sign language. Go.
I've done literally 100 150 different characters.
Being funny with a funny voice is more my comfort zone a broader character that I try to humanize a kind of silly or wacky persona that I try to fill in.
I bartended for a catering company for two or three years.
In gay culture hookups are a way of escaping your class.
It's always impressive when talented comedians are easy laughers or generous with their laughs.
When you're on a series that's been cancelled there's a little bit of a stink on you.
Historically there would always be people among the general population who had family members friends cousins who'd done time or who'd been in prison.
The 'Family Ties' role was the first of many gay roles that I've ended up playing. I remember that I made them laugh and it made me feel good 'cause it really cracked them up.
Women are in general less shallow visually. If their man gains 10 20 pounds they don't care as much.
I've been doing silly voices since I was a child.
I wore a thong and a bra and a wig. Those things hurt. I mean thongs? Like they dig in. It takes a tough man to be a woman.
It's not really difficult to go from one voice into the next.
There's no experience like on-the-job training.
The craft Emmys are kind of the kids' table at Thanksgiving. You're not really invited to the big dance. It's still really really exciting and the statue still counts.
I joke that my niche in Hollywood has been naked foreigners.
I'm very happy I get to keep working - it's an insanely fortunate thing.
You can't be funny for funny's sake. You try to get as outrageous situation as you can but it always has to be believable and based in real character motivations and what people would really do.
When you become deeply involved with someone their problems become yours and vice versa. It's family.
Once someone is in your family orbit there's a mutual responsibility and whatever happens to them happens to you.
I've met a lot of rock stars when they come to The Simpsons and almost every one of them I get really freaked out.
I don't really remember much about the '60s at all. You know 1970 is the first year I remember pretty well.
When you do well in a movie that's seen as really great you're revitalized for six weeks.
It's not really difficult to go from one voice into the next. It's like asking you to sing a line of Happy Birthday and then Goodnight Irene - assuming you know the words to both those songs
A lot of times when I record with a group I'll stay after class for another hour or two and go 'Let me try a bunch of things I was thinking of as you were doing that.'
Godzilla's a monster for the '90s. He's been working out.
I guess I'm used to seeing actors but rock musicians still hold a special magic for me.
Politics is topical - it's what's happening now and we can either respond in the present or avoid it.
I have no new voices - they've all been used.
I've always been a fan of plain writing. I hate metaphor-laden heavily larded lyrical writing.
Just watching Jack Lemmon made me want to get into this business.
Literally I see my writing as transcription - a transcription of what I see hear think live.
Guys will definitely settle for women who get the joke. But a woman who can make you laugh? It's not high on a guy's must list. Perhaps it should be.
You never know who's going to kill you until you meet them.
Even trying it as an actor I never thought I'd actually make it.