Michael Pena

I used to love those movies, back in the day, like 'A Nightmare on Elm Street,' 'Friday the 13th,' 'Rosemary's Baby' and 'The Shining.' I really liked those kind of movies, and I wanted to be a part of one of those kinds of movies.

I'm an American, and I live pretty well. But go down to Mexico, and a lot of people really don't. So what, we're going to blame them for trying to get out?

I'm into looking at things from the other point of view. And if you look at who votes in the Oscars, mostly older Jewish guys, they're going to vote for stuff they relate to. Do they relate to NWA? I doubt it.

What's funny isn't really me. What I do is point out what I find funny in others.

I remember my seventh-grade chemistry teacher told me I'd never amount to anything. I thought, 'Hmm. OK.' That gave me motivation to prove her wrong.

I didn't realise I lived in the ghetto until we moved out.

All the guys at Marvel are really passionate, and they love entertaining folks, and they really think about the story, and there's a lot of thought that goes into that.

My understanding, when I think of immigration, is like... you know, this country was built on immigrants: the German, the Polish, the Italian, the Jewish, the Russians, the Eastern Europeans. So, all these people came in, and I don't know who decided like, 'No, that's it! There's a cap on it! No more people.'

You know, one of my favorite movies that inspired me and got me started was 'Dead Poet's Society.'

I went to a prep school in Chicago, and my dad and mom worked really hard - even though we lived in the ghetto - to get me to there. A lot of it had to do with 'Stand and Deliver' and 'Dead Poet's Society.' It does help you. It inspires you. It definitely did for me.

Regardless of whatever job you do, you want to see the importance of it or how it can be important. I think by inspiring the people that I come from - if I inspire anyone - would be worth it.

'War on Everyone,' I think... the script was hilarious to me, but it's very dark, dark humor. It's super dark.

Drama is basically what I do, so it's a compliment that people think it's hard for me to get back to drama.

One of my favorite movies is 'Broadway Danny Rose.'

I'd love to work with Woody Allen.

'End of Watch' was 98-percent written, and I work really hard to make it look like it's the first time I'm saying it.

I loved WWF as a kid.

The reason I love Lollapalooza is because it's a great music festival.

I used to live off of nothing.

Sometimes it's good to be naive.

I'm super grateful, and whenever somebody offers me something, and I'm doing it, I always try to give 110%.

Seth Rogen told me to read 'Preacher,' and 'Preacher' was amazing.

I didn't know too much about 'Ant-Man.'

I don't know about you, but for me, if I got to present any kind of award, I'm shaking in my pants.

I was in really good shape after I finished this movie, 'End of Watch.'

My brother and my father both got laid off around the same that I was starting to do this movie 'Chavez.' And at the same time, it was when all the bailouts were happening.

Some horror movies are just for shock value, so it doesn't really feel scary.

I just wanted to be a part of something that's a horror movie that scares you.

I have really good managers and agents who are very selective in what they send me.

I feel really comfortable with going for the reality of the drama, but I'm not much for the comedy of it. You have to make people laugh, or you have to be true to the character in such a way that makes people laugh. It's a whole different thing.

I think nerves stop you from doing things. Make you stop and maybe make you withdraw. Then there's excitement where you can't wait to do it.

I want to become more successful.

Some of the best bad guys in movies are funny and charming.

I came to L.A. when I was 19, and my two roommates were blue-eyed, blond dudes. I helped coach them, and they both landed pilots.

I don't know if I'm necessarily a role model, but hopefully I can inspire any artist - Latin or otherwise - to do this thing for a living.

It was an event whenever 'CHiPs' would come on in my house. There wasn't a lot of Latin people being hired to star in TV shows or movies back in the day. Not only was it a fun show, there was a Latino starring in it - so we thought it was extra cool.

When I first set out to do it, I wanted to be a working actor, and now it seems like it's superseded even my dreams.

One of my first real parts was 'Crash' - that won the Oscar.

I was on 'The Shield' for a year before 'Crash' came out, and it was like doing an independent film every week.

I'm clearly not a writer, but I'm always a fan of them.

There's something about coming up with something out of nothing. I work with somebody else's creation already, and I just try to make it better.

I'm envious of writers.

A good director is like a good coach. You want to play for him. You want to really show him your good stuff. You don't want to let that person down. Ridley Scott is one of those guys.

I usually joke around, especially on set.

I'm living in Hollywood, and I'm making movies, but it goes beyond me. If my family is not doing very well, or even OK, you want them to be better.

I want to find my own rhythm and style. That's probably the harder way to approach it, but I think it will pay off in the long run.

Some of my favorite actors are Gene Wilder and Eddie Murphy back in the day - that's mainly what me and my brothers watched when we were kids.

I've tested for I-don't-know-how-many pilots, and I didn't get any of them. I would always try to go off the top and make it as spontaneous as possible, but acting in sitcoms is such a skill set, and I didn't have it. I wish I did back when I was younger.

The only time that I really go on Twitter is to promote, because what sucks is there's some weird trolling going around. Even if you are well-intentioned, there's some mean people behind a keyboard.

I saw Gosling just kill it in 'Blue Valentine.' I thought he was just amazing at that, and I wouldn't mind maybe doing something like that.