Ray Stevenson Quotes

Well, I'm not a natural gym person myself, anyway.

Hence the genius of having Ken steer this ship as well. You have to invest these characters with a Shakespearian quality and not in a way that might disengage the audience but in a way that actually lets you play to an audience.

Working at night helps people focus in on this crazy little bubble you've created, wherever you are filming. It doesn't matter where the location is, the world doesn't exist outside this bubble. And everyone is trapped inside.

I don't think you see a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder, for example. And even with the accents.

I wouldn't ever presume to say that I am a comic book fan.

There's not a lot of direct back story but you do get to see them playing around each other a lot.

When many different voices send you in different directions, you can't listen to your own.

I didn't want people to go out wanting to go tool up against the bad guys (and at impressionable ages). I said, don't shy away from the violence or pull back on this, commit to this.

The weird thing is, in America, people were saying, "You're not going to get recognized because all you're going to see is basically your forehead and eyes."

Sometimes, I have lost out on a gig because I was not high enough profile.

I suppose you just feel on an instinctive level if something is honest.

For me, because I've had classical theater training, when people say, "Oh, my god, the play is amazing!," I'll never get to see it because I'm in it.

Blackbeard was larger than life. He was 6'4 in 1710. He was a colossus, and like a rock star walking into a bar. He was a tremendous commander, a great leader.

It is a tough business but if you get yourself in a situation like I, you can maintain a career over many years. That, to me, is a successful actor.

It really reminds me of the great movies of the 30's and 40's with huge sets and voluminous fireplaces you could walk around in. Glazed floors. I was expecting a Busby Berkley dance number. Big fanfare and all the girls coming out. I'd have joined in. It's got that scale, you know?

The pamphlets going back to London telling of the violent derring-dos of the Bahamian pirates were the ones that brought infamy to the names of Charles Vane and Blackbeard. How much of that is really documented history? It carries a flavor with it, but take all this with a pinch of salt.

History is written by victors and, occasionally, sensationalist journalists. I mean that with the best respect.

I love the chameleon nature of this business [acting]. I always have. Sometimes I'm not as recognizable as somebody else and I may not have gotten a role, but for me, acting is not a competition. I've just kept my head down and kept working, and had the great pleasure of working with some amazing people and playing some extraordinary and extreme characters.

Humor is a very important thing. It is a natural predilection. It is an emotional release.

Life itself is pretty funny when you realize how absurd it can be.

If the project piques my interest and scares me a little bit, then it's got me hooked.

It's all about the integrity of their characters. They [Marvel] care so much about the loyalty and integrity of each and every character and all of their stories. They trust and love their readership. They're the ones who have invested in these stories.

I don't give a damn if you like Blackbeard. I don't care if you think he is an absolute despot. Do you believe me? If you do, I've done my work.

[Pirates] are a victim of their own success. People have identified with pirates in a comic and caricature sense.