James Franco

There's a tendency, when you're directing yourself, not to give the performance as much care, because you feel like there's too much focus on yourself, or that all these people are just standing around setting everything up, waiting for you.

When we were doing 'Freaks and Geeks', I didn't quite understand how movies and TV worked, and I would improvise even if the camera wasn't on me. I thought I was helping the other actors by keeping them on their toes, but nobody appreciated it when I would trip them up. So I was improvising a little bit back then, but not in a productive way.

Acting is an art form and you want to take roles that are challenged and it's more of a challenge I think to play dark characters. Not that I want to always play those, but it is a challenge and challenges are rewarding and fun.

I might have to stumble a little bit more in public than others, but that's fine, I don't mind, I've developed a thick skin.

I worked the drive-through at McDonald's and tried out different accents - Italian, Russian, Irish.

I don't cast somebody that I think is like my younger self.

When I was starting out, doing guest spots on TV, and even commercials, I would go in with a whole crazy wardrobe and some terrible accent. Obviously, I was doing too much. If you bring too much flavor to it, it's absurd. There's something to just being spontaneous.

I still don't like going to bed alone.

I was kind of scared of failing at acting.

My job is what I love. I don't need an escape from it.

It's hard when you're doing a film based on a true story to really figure out what all those relationships were.

If the work is good, what does it matter? I'm doing it because I love it. Why not do as many things I love as I can? As long as the work is good.