Michael Shannon quotes

Michael Shannon is an American actor known for his intense and versatile performances in film, television, and theater. Notable roles include his work in "Revolutionary Road," "Take Shelter," and as General Zod in "Man of Steel." He has earned multiple award nominations and is highly respected for his commanding screen presence. Here are 34 of his quotes:

I'm just kind of odd. There are dark forces in the world, and if you pay attention to what's going on around you, you end up incorporating it into the storytelling. Maybe it's some aspect of myself that's coming through that people are seeing, that I am in fact a quiet psycho.

Michael Shannon

If you don't believe there's some organising principle, or somebody up in the sky pulling the strings, then it can be very stressful. And nature itself is very arbitrary - it's not malevolent or benevolent; it doesn't even know we're here.

Michael Shannon

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

If I were God, I would just be up there scratching my head, thinking, 'What the hell am I supposed to do with this?' For everyone helping an old lady across the street, there's someone else bludgeoning a person to death. And sometimes they're the same. How can He separate us all out?

Michael Shannon

That's one of the great things about acting - you get to pretend you're somebody else, which is great if you get bored with yourself.

Michael Shannon

The stage is a routine. It keeps you grounded, like a metronome. I find that soothing.

Michael Shannon

I started acting because I was miserable and crazy and wanted to be someone else, to run around and scream in front of people without getting in trouble.

Michael Shannon

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

I enjoyed living in Chicago and doing plays for little or no money. I never actually thought that I would leave Chicago, originally. I wasn't one of those people that had a plan to pack up the van and drive out to Hollywood. I didn't want to.

Michael Shannon

Everybody's constantly being destroyed and rebuilding themselves, some more drastically than others.

Michael Shannon

If you give me enough time, enough leash, I can become pretty reasonable.

Michael Shannon

Everything that happens on Wall Street only fortifies my opinion that there is in fact a more ludicrous industry than the entertainment industry.

Michael Shannon

I've never worried about anything in my life a fraction of the way I worry about my daughter. It's much more than hoping people like the play you're in, or that your outfit doesn't look bad. It's the real deal.

Michael Shannon

Let's point out the elephant in the room: Actor bands are not notoriously successful enterprises. I can't think of any.

Michael Shannon

There's nothing routine about 'Boardwalk Empire.' It's like being in some secret society where they call you up and tell you where to go: 'Meet us at the corner of such and so.'

Michael Shannon

I get pretty attached to the majority of the characters I play. I can't help myself.

Michael Shannon

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

The thing about New York is, more than any other place I've ever been, you run into people on the street that you would never imagine you'd see, old friends, people just like there for a day or two. I find that all the time when I'm walking around Manhattan, running into people that I had no idea were even there.

Michael Shannon

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

There are certain ways of being that people don't find acceptable or very pleasant in regular life, but you go out on stage and do pretty much the same thing and they find it spellbinding.

Michael Shannon

When you see a struggle that you may be having personally put on a big screen and in a roomful of people, then it makes you feel less crazy or alone, because you're seeing that other people are dealing with it too. You get to see in this imaginary scenario how people might try and answer some questions or deal with some problems.

Michael Shannon

I've known a lot of very religious people. My mother is very religious, but she was also very - is very private about it. She - when I was growing up, she never went to church. She just prayed and read her Bible and kept it to herself. So I'm not from a background of flamboyant believers. It's much more a personal issue.

Michael Shannon