I know that if I'd had to go and take an exam for acting I wouldn't have got anywhere. You don't take exams for acting you take your courage.

There's no mystique to acting. It's only common sense - and a bit of courage.

That's what acting is - it's about... having the courage to allow your audience into the private moments of your characters' lives.

Now that I've got some films under my belt I have the courage of my convictions regarding acting. It gives me a leg to stand on.

The one thing I learned the most about acting is it takes a tremendous amount of courage to go there and stand still. It takes courage and guts to step out of your mind frame and depict something.

The cool thing about working and meeting a lot of people through your acting is that you never know who you might work with in the future.

I feel like my music is just an extension of my acting. I treat the songs like scenes that tell a story... it's very similar. My favorite thing is when cartoon fans show up to my live gigs! They are always the most kick-butt audience members 'cause they're not trying to act all cool like a lot of the music fans do! It's refreshing!!

I've never won an award for anything and I think it's weird. I mean that's really cool but it's strange to think you could get an award for acting. I always thought that was strange.

I was 35 years old and in a position to take a shot at whatever I wanted to try. The Air Force said I was too old to fly fighter jets. I thought about becoming a fishing boat captain before deciding that acting seemed pretty cool.

I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon Ben Affleck Mark Wahlberg - they made a great career out of it and they found a way to do it and still be cool guys so that's kind of where I want to be.

When I first started acting I was about nine years old. I had never been to audition in my life and my agent sent me out. It was just a commercial for 'Harry Potter.' That was the first thing I ever went out for and I got the 'Harry Potter' commercial which was really cool but I didn't play Harry Potter.

Sometimes acting is really cool because it forces you to exercise certain muscles in your personality that you wouldn't normally be called upon in life.

Acting is sort of an extension of childhood. You get to play all of these roles and have so much fun. Playing an athlete would be so cool. Or where you get to shoot guns ride horses. I wouldn't turn down any of that.

But being on location and shooting whether its in Puerto Rico or Atlanta it always reminds me of how really cool my job can be. Interacting with the fans is one of the best parts of it.

But acting is very much a profession that is you're hot one moment and not the next - and that is totally cool. I think that's what I find most fascinating and most exciting about it - is that it can be gone in a puff of smoke.

I think it's really cool how J. Lo's been able to balance an acting career and a music career. That's something I strive for.

Sitting at the table during Color Purple and looking up and suddenly realizing I was acting in front of Steven Spielberg was pretty cool. It was pretty good.