Illeana Douglas

In high school, my goal was to be a writer for SNL, then I got into the acting.

I like the idea of capturing people who aren't there to save the world.

There's too much insecurity on studio sets, with all the people standing around, whispering.

I love anything to do with ventriloquism and magic.

I like doing movies that relate to people's experience.

When I do a character, I try to base it on someone I have met or an experience I've had.

I know as I'm taking my dying breath, the ambulance guy will ask me why they cancelled Action.

I love sketch comedy. My real goal is to do something with Albert Brooks. That would be my fantasy. I stay up night and day thinking up stuff he might find funny.

I'm a big fan of Albert Brooks, Nichols and May. I'd like to follow in their footsteps and do comedy films.

The best situation is where they cast you and then they trust you.

I come from a pretty strange family.

I wore a lot of vintage clothing. I dressed like a reporter, with a little card in my hat. I had these fantasies of who I wanted to be, so I'd dress like an explorer, a cowboy. I dressed up like Elton John a lot too. That was another period.