Dylan McDermott quotes

Dylan McDermott is an American actor known for his roles in film, television, and theater. Audiences recognize him particularly for his performances in "The Practice" and "American Horror Story." He continues to be a prominent presence in the entertainment industry. Here are 28 of his quotes:

As an actor, you always have to reinvent yourself or you end up in the gutter somewhere. It's my job to always change people's minds. I've known that for a long time and I've had to do it.

Dylan McDermott

I was terrified of the Vietnam War when I was 13. I thought I was going. The draft was such an ominous thing, I felt as if it was going to trickle down to me.

Dylan McDermott

I've always been fascinated by Baretta and Donny Brasco, and other undercover cops in movies.

Dylan McDermott

My dad was kind of a pool shark and had a Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin thing going on. I've always been fascinated by the fifties because of him. There was a hip, cool, anything-goes atmosphere back then, but looking good was still a priority.

Dylan McDermott

I always felt like I needed to act. Not that I wanted to act, but I needed to. And, I still feel that same way. There's an expression that I get to have in acting that I can't consciously express in my life. It has always defined me and it always will.

Dylan McDermott

My past is not pleasant; I grew up in a very tough town, Waterbury, Connecticut. I grew up in New York, too, but Waterbury was tougher.

Dylan McDermott

It's like, no matter what I do, I always feel like I'm five years old, and I end up in the back of my father's car looking out the window, and nothing has changed in 25 years.

Dylan McDermott

Most of the time people are aiming so low on television. They're trying to reach that common denominator, especially on network television.

Dylan McDermott

Media runs the world, and it all changed, I think, when the debate between Kennedy and Nixon happened, and first of all we saw them on television, and that changed everything.

Dylan McDermott

L.A. is still such a fascinating place to me, so big and diverse. It's so spread out that you can go from Zuma to downtown and there's really like 10 different towns in between.

Dylan McDermott

Honestly, I'm cool with everyone, and people pick up on that. I'd say, 'I'm not gay, but it's all good.' It's kind of like going to Paris when you don't know the language; some Americans get into trouble over there, but I'm just like, 'Sorry, I don't speak French.

Dylan McDermott

It's the cable shows that are really the most interesting - 'Mad Men,' 'Breaking Bad,' those shows are really the premiere shows on television right now.

Dylan McDermott

I guess my style is a cross between David Bowie and Clint Eastwood.

Dylan McDermott

I've tried like hell to make bad movies good, and I can't. Maybe Marlon Brando has been able to do that at times. But even he has a hard time making 'The Appaloosa' a good movie.

Dylan McDermott

My theory about actors is we're all walking milk cartons. Expirations dates everywhere.

Dylan McDermott

Dark Blue is ultimately a gritty crime drama, at its core. I don't think that is ever going to change.

Dylan McDermott

I did a movie with Clint Eastwood and I knew I wasn't going to be able to 'out-man' him.

Dylan McDermott

Jerry Bruckheimer really is an executive producer, who obviously is the most successful producer in the history of film and television.

Dylan McDermott

Yeah, romantic comedies are the hardest movies to make. Maybe one works a year.

Dylan McDermott

I believe that Ryan Murphy is a genius. His instincts remind me of Andy Warhol. I recently went to the Warhol museum in Pittsburgh, and you can see a lot of echoes of Andy in Ryan's work. Like Andy, Ryan's finger is so on the pulse of culture that he's ahead of culture. Their aesthetic and their vision of the world are very similar.

Dylan McDermott

Style is innate to who I am. My father gave me a picture the other day. I must have been about seven, and I had on wing-tip shoes and some cool pants. I thought, 'Wow!'

Dylan McDermott

Once you understand that someone has Tourette and that they can't help their tics, it takes away the distraction. And you can engage your compassion. You feel for them. You embrace them.

Dylan McDermott