Acting
was something that just came along. But I made good money, so it wasn't
something I was just going to put aside and pretend it didn't exist.
Even
if I was just playing golf by myself and having a really good round, or
if I could break my personal best, that moment would become just as
meaningful to me as anything else.
Everyone
in baseball knew me from baseball. They didn't understand what I was
doing with the acting thing.
For
guys playing sports at a high level, for money, I can't put my finger on
it, but in a man's world of sport, there is something visceral to
beating another man.
Go
to work every day and remember the reason you like this is because you
enjoy the challenge of it, and you want to do well.
How
many music critics do you know that know anything about music? Probably
not very many, but they have their personal opinions.
Human
beings, from their own point of view, are very different than what
people see.
I
always look forward to working with Goldie because she's a great person
to work with.
I
can evaluate a player in a very short period of time because I'm very
close to that game, very educated in that game and played the game for a
long, long time. I wasn't just a guy with talent. I learned a lot about
the game.
I
discovered that Captain Ron and Overboard are the two tapes everybody
has to have on their boat!
I
do get cynical, but what can you do? It doesn't make any difference.
I
don't really look for specific types of projects any more. I'm not
taking care of a career anymore. I'm just having fun acting.
I
got a kick out of the stands when they would heckle me. I would take the
energy from that.
I
just sit around while they change their minds. It's a very difficult
business, and marketing movies is not part of my world.
I
know I come off differently than I think of myself. I'm always surprised
by what people say about me.
I
no longer look at my life and times in the motion picture industry as my
career. I just look at it now as something I like and want to do.
I
played professional level sports. When you're playing for money, it's a
whole other level.
I
seem to have a knack for picking movies that go on to be cult favorites.
I
started playing ball when I was a kid. My dad was a pro ball player and
he passed on his knowledge to me.
I
understand a lot of people don't care for sports that much, but it shows
just how hard somebody is going after something.
I
used to throw batting practice a lot, and with some injuries on the
team, I was playing all the time, which I hadn't been earlier.
I
usually hang out on the set. I get to know everybody. I have a nice time
with the other actors.
I
was brought up by two people who just said, Whatever it is you're
interested in, go do it. There is no winning or losing. You find out
when you do it what the experience is.
I
wasn't really serious about acting-I was serious about baseball.
I've
never looked at my career in terms of, What haven't I done that I want
to do? I just generally find a story that I think is a good one and go
to work.
If
I see one side of somebody, I want to see the other side.
If
it hadn't been for the videocassette, I may not have had a career at
all.
If
they're willing to pay you what you think you're worth for it, that's
why an actor goes to work. A lot of times they want to pay you a lot for
a picture you don't want to do.
If
you want to laugh, see Slap Shot. If you want to be inspired, see our
movie, Miracle.
It's
interesting to examine someone's life who is taking a step into hell and
is either going to continue to descend or somehow try to walk out of it.
Movies
I've done which are some of my favorites, sometimes people won't talk
about them at all.
My
Dad was a ball player and an actor, and I was a ball player and an
actor. I saw his world, and I liked that he enjoyed it.
My
first year of pro ball I played in the Northwest league and made the
all-star team, and the next year I played I led the team in hitting and
was third or fifth in the league.
My
job is to make the movie. There's no reason to consult me.
People
think, because of the movies I've done, that I'm a lot more macho. I
think I'm sort of happy-go-lucky.
Projects
happen and they don't. When you see something that you think for a
number of reasons is the right thing to do, you go to work.
Society
questions the police and their methods, and the police say, Do you want
the criminals off the street or not?
The
crime rates are going up, houses are being robbed, people are being
killed, drugs on the street are rapid and worse.
The
minute you see someone, you have your sort of vision of what they appear
to you as. That may not be how they think of themselves.
There's
no doubt at all what I want to be to my grandkids. It's pretty great.
It's a lot of fun.
These
guys are it. It's a long way from Mighty Ducks.
We
all do that thing which is the best in movies-we relate.
We
are in a democratic society. It's our job to question.
When
I was working on my career, I was very aware of what I had done, what I
wanted to do next. I'm having a good time just reading things that might
be interesting to do.
When
you first are in front of the camera as a young person, you'd be
surprised at all the insecurities you can get.
When
you lose a double overtime game, it hurts. You know the effort they put
in and you know how badly they want it.
When
you think you're good, you will play at that level. If you doubt
yourself, you will play like crap.
When
you're inside my skin and you walk down the street, you'd be surprised
at what people like and don't like.
You
can talk about golf, pool, basketball, hockey, baseball, doesn't matter.
A locker room is a locker room, egos are egos.
You
must make your life's work about that-it's not about what people think
of it, how people evaluate it. It's about the work, just whatever it is.
You
will always have criminals. People will always do illegal things and you
are always going to have to deal with it.
You're
trying to recreate reality, you're inventing. It's like painting, it's
fun.
If
it ain't broke, don't fix it." (On why he won't marry Goldie Hawn)
I
seem to have a knack for picking movies that go on to be cult favorites.
If
it hadn't been for video cassette, I may not have had a career at all.
I
remember Dick Warlock helped set up the fight and he came out with this
big purple lump on the side of his head, and all he said to me was 'Keep
your head down and be careful, man.'
I
was brought up as a Republican. But when I realized that at the end of
the day there wasn't much difference between a Democrat and Republican,
I became a libertarian.
