Tony Todd

I like critical failures. It makes you work harder.

The ability to be frightening with stillness is what appeals to me.

Everything that's worth making has to involve some sort of pain.

Dude, I've played almost every position except for President. When I did 'The Event,' I was head of the CIA. When I did 'Chuck,' I was head of the NSA. For a guy that's a hippie at heart, I don't know where they think of this.

I've worked with directors who have done it too much, particularly in television, you know, 'okay we got it, let's move on, next setup.' 'Well what about, we could maybe investigate?' 'Mmm... no, let's go.'

Whenever I do something, particularly if it's a cameo, I make sure that I have a backstory written out so that I can talk to the director intelligent and try to communicate a three-dimensional character.

I'm ready to go up to the Danny Glover level.

With film sometimes you're thrown in there and you literally hit the ground running, taking your best shot and just leave it up to the editing.

I grew up a single kid and so my whole childhood was spent in my backyard dealing with imaginary circumstances and role playing and stuff.

It's not like I wakeup everyday and say, 'You know what, I need to do a horror film.' Statistically it's only like forty percent of my output but it's a great ride and the fan base is really dedicated and that's always cool. When you're lucky enough to be in a good one it's fantastic.

Thank God for voiceover work.

October's a busy month for me. I usually find myself working but I also try to do one or two conventions in that period. Then whatever city I'm in, they want to drag me to their local horror theme park.

But 'Hatchet' I only had one day on it. You know, one scene, which I had fun doing. I enjoyed watching it.

I think people are getting more and more - unfortunately - inured to violence. People are like, less sensitive to things they should wake up about.

People who come through television, if they don't get distracted, they learn how to shoot fast. They don't get shocked. And if they know how to adjust to that and they think outside the box, then they'll be fine.

When Michael Bay called me, I'd worked with him before on 'The Rock,' and he called me and said, 'Tony, I might have something for you.' I said, 'Okay, you haven't called me in ten years!' He said, 'I've been busy!' I said, 'I've been busy too Michael, glad we could make our schedules match!'

I only do television if it's something really good like '24.'

There was a period where I did do a lot of television, but the luck of the draw worked in my favour, as they were all shows that were either fan-favourites or cultist things.

I was going to Hartford High School and when the theater bug hit, it hit hard and it saved my life. It gave me focus, direction and purpose.

Actors are a funny lot. Sometimes they're not satisfied with where they are. I include myself.

All of my contemporaries in L.A. are all graduates of either Yale, Julliard, Trinity. The best of the bunch come from that.

As far as 'Final Destination' and its creator, Jeffrey Reddick, are concerned, whenever Jeffrey calls, because of our friendship, I have to listen.