Having a lot of people suddenly depending on me to get the job done was a marvelous motivator. The book and movie deals seemed to flip a switch in my head, and off I went
Having a lot of people suddenly depending on me to get the job done was a marvelous motivator. The book and movie deals seemed to flip a switch in my head, and off I went.
People get confused with athletes, especially ultimate competitors. They think they are the same on and off the field. Once you see me on the field, I am a different person. I have a switch I can flip on and off.
I wish there was a switch that I could flip, where no one knows me. And then, when I'm ready to make a splash, I'd flip the switch and say, 'Hey, I'm ready now.' Unfortunately, that doesn't happen.
I've done a couple of movies for scale, and it's the only way to get a lot of these independent movies made. The actors negotiate deals where they're given just enough money to live on during the filming, but then they participate in the back-end. If the movie suddenly makes a gazillion dollars, we'll participate in that profit.
In this job, you're constantly surrounded by people. There are a lot of demands on your time. And I guess those moments when you can switch off and get away from it are really important.
I've been asked to write a book several times; I've had several publishers come to me and offer me book deals. Especially right after I left Dream Theater and Avenged Sevenfold, there was a lot of drama going on in my life, so the book companies came at me thirsty for blood and gossip. And I turned down all the deals.
When I'm not doing readings, I just spend a lot of time alone and try to meditate. Going for walks in nature is also really good for me. It's a way to center myself without having people around, because my ability is less of an on-off switch. It's more like a radio volume dial, so I always have background music in my head.
I'm always working. Like a lot of creative people I can't switch off. I can't disassociate work from pleasure. My job is my hobby.
My job with Sue on 'Bake Off' was to look after the bakers - and to be honest, a lot of that was done off screen as well as on screen. It's very much the same on 'Let It Shine.' You get to know people, you get involved, you want things to be alright.
I'm just going to go out there knowing my teammates are depending on me to get the job done. I've got to go out and get it done, no letting down.
Wayne Wang, the director of Because of Winn-Dixie the movie, understood the book and transferred as much of the feeling of the book onto film as humanly possible. I think he did a fabulous job. And also I'm thrilled because the movie brings people to the book - people that wouldn't know about the book - and that's a great thing.
I turn a switch on to socialise on the red carpet, and then switch it off once I'm done.
As a self-employed person, the idea of a break is completely foreign to me. If I completely switch off for any period of time, I know I'm going to pay for it several times over. For me, it's a lot better and easier to stay in touch and know what's going on seven days a week than to switch off.
You have to have a switch that you can flip when you get on the field.
Writing's funny, it's like walking down a hall in the dark looking for the light switch, and suddenly you find it, flip it on, and then you discover the hallway you passed through is papered with the novel you've written.
Suddenly people were saying I was cocky because I'd done a Steven Spielberg movie and thought I was better than everyone else, which surprised me at first. I suddenly started feeling like a freak because everyone was treating me differently. It was confusing, and I did wonder if acting was for me anymore.