A Quote by Dan Butler

I'm not a straight man, but I play one on television.

Dan Butler

Quote Topics

Man Play Straight Straight Man Television

Quote Author

Dan Butler
American - Actor
Born: December 2, 1954

A silly comedy needs a straight guy, and that guy needs to be as straight as possible. The moment you start playing straight you're not straight anymore, you're bent straight, so it really requires the usual serious, straight-forward analysis and research, looking into it and finding the dramatic function, all of what you do until you feel you've collected enough points to safely and securely play the part.

Christoph Waltz

I’ve worked in television for 10 years straight. If I were a man, it wouldn’t be considered strange [to have confidence] at all.

Mindy Kaling

That straight man character is a short trip between comedy and drama in a project, so I can play the comedic beat on the same page as a dramatic beat. It gives me a lot of freedom as an actor to play scenes in multiple ways because I don't play the clown, nor do I play someone who is particularly maudlin.

Jason Bateman

Every character I play is straight, which is unique, my agent says, because it's not really been done before that someone who is completely out is able to play straight roles.

Russell Tovey

There's a little bit more of a freedom when you're doing radio play-by-play as opposed to television. I prefer the television side of it.

Joe Buck

It's not common for a woman on television, especially if she's the mom of the family, to be funny. She's usually a straight man or foil.

Martha Plimpton

The best cure for a hangover is something one straight man can't do for another straight man.

Ben Affleck

I wouldn't be interested in [nowadays] television simply because I think it goes too fast. Except if something was maybe a play on television or some great television script.

Al Pacino

I was the first man to put on a dress and play it straight. That was something very fresh. Still is.

Jamie Farr

People say: 'Why do you want to play the straight man?' Well, it's because he gets to be in every scene.

Jason Bateman

If you play it straight it's funny - the best comedy is always played straight down the middle. The adjustment is understanding from the screenplay that a moment is hilarious.

Tom Hiddleston

I find with television, you have to play personality, whereas onstage, everyone talks about 'the character,' and what you do. It's a very different thing, because stage is much bigger, but on television, for things to come across to the public, I think you have to play a bit of your personality.

John Barrowman

I find with television, you have to play personality, whereas onstage, everyone talks about "the character," and what you do. It's a very different thing, because stage is much bigger, but on television, for things to come across to the public, I think you have to play a bit of your personality.

John Barrowman

I know who can play and who can't play and I'm very straight-forward... If you can play, you can play; if you can't, you can't.