I never went into acting to be able to scare everybody. If I'd wanted to frighten people, I could have joined the C.I.A. Michael Shannon actfrightenjoin Change image and share on social
When I'm working, I don't wake up and say, 'OK, time to go be intense.' I just look at whatever scenes we're working on that day and break them down - just real intense everyday work. Michael Shannon breakdayeveryday Change image and share on social
Honestly, as hard a profession as acting is, I think music is even harder. Acting, you're like a leech, because someone else does the hard part for you. They write it for you, then the director tells you what to do. You really just need to know how to pay attention, follow instructions. Michael Shannon actattentiondirector share on social
One of the great things about acting is you can do things that in real life would get you in trouble. I think that's something I figured out pretty early on. Michael Shannon actearlyfigure Change image and share on social
I get pretty attached to the majority of the characters I play. I can't help myself. Michael Shannon attachcharactermajority Change image and share on social
My dad used to say, 'You have to become part of the machine to beat the machine,' and there's some validity in it. But honestly, even when I'm inside the machine, you still see me. I stick out a little bit. Michael Shannon beatbitedad share on social
I've always been happy just to be working. It doesn't really matter for me how many people are familiar with my name or my picture, or whatever. Michael Shannon familiarhappyhave Change image and share on social
Well, I think anybody who's had a baby can tell you that once you have a baby, they kind of become the main focus. I don't think there's gonna be a lot of room for anything else. Michael Shannon babyfocusgonna Change image and share on social
One of the reasons I got into acting to begin with is that I was trying to figure out how life worked. It was interesting to me to try and follow how other people, real or imaginary, would deal with problems, because I was trying to deal with my own problems. Michael Shannon actbegindeal share on social
One of the reasons I'm an actor is because I was no physical specimen as a child. I wasn't athletic and didn't have any prowess in that regard. Growing up in Kentucky, most little boys were trying to get into sports, and it was very competitive, so that was not to be. But I did want to do something. Michael Shannon actorathleticboy share on social