I discovered martial arts, first judo and then karate.

Having bodyguards is just part of being famous, I think.

I used to play drums when I was a kid, play the trombone.

One day you'll understand the sheer awesomeness that is me.

I've never had a good line. Well, maybe 'I must break you'.

Stallone is a pretty tough director. You don't mess with him.

Film is about what you are thinking. It's about what's inside.

Nicolas Cage is a great actor and he's done some good action movies too.

I think by planning an exercise regime, your diet follows to some extent.

You get a bigger paycheck if you are the hero. There is something good about it.

It takes nine months for a baby to develop, it takes nine months to develop a character.

I try to keep the martial arts up. It's a good thing, not just physically but also for your mind.

The interesting thing about TV drama that's kind of nice is, I'm just an actor. I'm doing my role.

I've drank more beer and pissed more blood and banged more women than all you numb nuts put together!

I was very sickly as a kid and had a lot of allergies, so martial arts gave me the chance to feel strong.

Jackie Chan, I've known him, he's a great guy. I know he's very watchable and fun. He's perfect, actually.

When I got cast in 'Rocky IV,' I had never seen a film camera before. And here I was in this boxing movie.

I suppose I will try to enjoy my life now while I have it. Who knows what's going to happen in the future?

Because he's a character who's looking for his own identity, [He-Man is] an interesting role for an actor.

I do a little bit of yoga-style meditation. Relaxing and breathing even just one minute a day makes a big difference.

My problem is that people get intimidated by someone big and beautiful like me. They hate to think I can be smart as well.

There are a lot of great athletes who stop working out, and they get out of shape like everybody else in their 30s and 40s.

I've actually always been into suits. But I never really wore them, I guess because I was too young and it didn't feel right.

Karate has helped me lots, otherwise I might have got lost in substance abuse or something like the things a lot of other people do.

Everybody's life has some mythical quality. You struggle against obstacles, you fight to get to a higher level and there are great loves.

In the normal life of an actor or director, running around, there's not much time to go to church. But there's other ways to be spiritual, too.

If I need to bulk up for a role, I will do more weights. If I need to slim down for something, I will do more cardio. That's usually how it goes.

Your body's made to run, to walk, to trek long distances and carry things, work in a forest, and hunt animals. You have to keep it alive to function.

Jebediah Woodley is one of those guys that when I'm sitting in my rocking chair one day, thinking back, I'll remember that guy. He was a fun guy to play.

At least once a week, I try to have one day where I have nothing planned so I can get up and just go back to bed and lay around and recharge my batteries.

I prefer to channel my problems and inner demons through a character. Another persona. That protects me and my family. I can get my frustrations out that way.

My sensei was a British karate champion named Brian Fitkin. He was my mentor and because I had a hard relationship with my dad, he became a father figure to me.

I think mortality makes you live a fuller existence. When I was a kid I was scared of death, and maybe that's what made me desperate to get the most out of life.

I wanted to become an engineer, or get a masters in business. But I had the opportunity to do films when I was about 25 and it was a great way to express myself.

You realize as a director that when you are cutting a film, you want to have alternatives. You need color and choices. You don't want four takes that are identical.

When I was a teenager, my dad used to put a lot of pressure on me to be successful, and I'd really beat myself up about things like losing martial arts competitions.

I discovered martial arts, first judo and then karate, and I became quite good at it, because I had something to prove. And more than anything, I needed to feel safe.

It was fun to talk too much [as Jebediah Woodley], to keep running your mouth whether the other characters want to hear it or not. That's part of what made this guy fun.

In my career, whether it's a big or a small movie, when I've worked on something for a long time, like [Ivan] Drago in Rocky IV, they start to take on a life of their own.

I'm not going to freeze my body. One life is enough for me. Some people take this gamble. That someone will be able to bring them back in the future. I'm not going to do it.

When I was a kid, I was like everyone else: afraid of getting nuked. We had drills in school - Sweden was very close to the Soviet Union. There was definitely a lot of tension.

You really have to work hard to create a three-dimensional character. You have to rehearse and explore and take your time. You can't just memorize your lines and do it on the fly.

I like Stallone, because he writes. He sits down with a blank page and comes up with another Rambo movie. That isn't very easy for anybody. He's made it successful on top of that.

I like the old school heavy metal bands like AC/DC and Aeromith. I like that type of music. As the director, I tried to influence the type of music the bands in the movie would play.

You can't give someone five hundred punches in a film anymore. You beat on them, and they continue to stand there staring at you. That doesn't work. People just don't buy that anymore.

I mean there's still also an element of the audience looking for role models. In my day, when I started, if you were an action hero, you were a little bit of a role model like the person.

As a hero, you have to play it straight. The audience is going to live through you, so you have to be more neutral. They will be projecting their thoughts and their actions onto the main character.

I train about four or five times a week. I guess I am addicted to it. I also do a lot of martial arts. More than I have done in awhile. I like to go back to martial arts because it makes me feel good.

Unless you're playing a real character based on a real person, if someone else has done it before, you're probably better off not watching it as an actor. Otherwise you end up trying to copy someone else.

The acting style that has emerged from HD, because of the contrast and how sharp the picture is, it's more neutrally played. The main character is very minamalistic. That's what works in this digital age.

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