John C. Reilly
Birthday: 24 May 1965, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Birth Name: John Christopher Reilly
Height: 188 cm
Character actor, dramatic leading man, or hilarious comic foil? With an astonishing range of roles already under his belt, John C. Reilly has played an eclectic host of rich characters to great effect ...Show More
(2011) I don't deliberately go into comedy or go into indies, but I do deliberately try to keep chan Show more
(2011) I don't deliberately go into comedy or go into indies, but I do deliberately try to keep changing tact, because I think that is the key to longevity in a career. To continually surprise people. It just gets boring if you start to do the same thing, it just gets boring on a personal level. I try to keep myself from being bored. I'm sort of a restless person, in general, so I try to do stuff that keeps me engaged. Hide
(On his reputation as "character actor" rather than leading man): I think there's something about me Show more
(On his reputation as "character actor" rather than leading man): I think there's something about me...that people can relate to. And, you know, beauty can be its own prison. Hide
[2000] Hey, I'm just trying to become the Michael Caine/Gene Hackman of my generation.
[2000] Hey, I'm just trying to become the Michael Caine/Gene Hackman of my generation.
[on making Sydney (1996) (aka "Hard Eight")] "Hard Eight" was like we billed somebody's rich uncle a Show more
[on making Sydney (1996) (aka "Hard Eight")] "Hard Eight" was like we billed somebody's rich uncle and were getting away with some crazy scheme out in the desert and had to finish before anyone figured out what happened. Gwyneth Paltrow was fairly new in the movie business and it was exciting, all of us giddy with getting to know each other. We knew we were doing a good, original movie. Hide
I live on the east side of LA. I don't think I could live in LA if I didn't live on the east side. I Show more
I live on the east side of LA. I don't think I could live in LA if I didn't live on the east side. I want to live in a place that's an accurate reflection of the world, you know? I want to see people of all races and economic backgrounds. I think one of the problems with Hollywood actors is that they fortify themselves in these castles on the west side, and I don't know how you can really be a truthful actor if you're not out learning about the human experience and getting to know all different people. And so I feel really lucky that I have that in the neighborhood that I live in. Hide
I love that people can't place me. They don't know my name. That's 'mission accomplished' in my worl Show more
I love that people can't place me. They don't know my name. That's 'mission accomplished' in my world. Hide
[on his children] When they turn 21, if they want to be public people, they can be public people - u Show more
[on his children] When they turn 21, if they want to be public people, they can be public people - until then, I'm going to shelter them. Hide
[2006 - On success] I'm still paranoid about money and that this can be the last one. I never get ah Show more
[2006 - On success] I'm still paranoid about money and that this can be the last one. I never get ahead of myself, thinking, 'I've made it, baby!' Hide
Not because I find fame difficult, but because I fear that if you're too well known, you lose the ab Show more
Not because I find fame difficult, but because I fear that if you're too well known, you lose the ability to surprise your audience and that's what I like my characters to do. I can still get away with it, I think. I mean, those kids in the lobby didn't know my name and I did an interview yesterday where they looked very confused when I walked in. Turns out they were expecting Philip Seymour Hoffman, though they didn't really know his name either - they just sort of said to me: 'Have you lost weight and dyed your hair?" Hide
I grew up a Catholic and went regularly to church. When I made the decision to make acting my vocati Show more
I grew up a Catholic and went regularly to church. When I made the decision to make acting my vocation, I used to joke that the theatre is my church now. But, especially doing live theatre, where you have to do eight performances in six days, you really have to kind of live like a monk. Then you go to this big, dark place and experience emotions, and it's very spiritual. Hide
I view my strongest competition as myself. You're always trying to top yourself, rather than worryin Show more
I view my strongest competition as myself. You're always trying to top yourself, rather than worrying about what other people are doing. Hide
I was a bit of a freak, but because I had a few older brothers I was afforded protection and people Show more
I was a bit of a freak, but because I had a few older brothers I was afforded protection and people just kind of let me join their gangs. I was a kind of Zelig figure, moving between different groups. I'd hang with the jocks, the burn-outs, the academic types and I could empathise with all of them. I was curious about all of them, but I know I never felt I fitted in with them, you know? It sounds odd saying it now, but I just wasn't right there - until I started doing plays and then it was, like: "Ah, my people." Hide
In Chicago it's really a case of the play's the thing - people are just so happy to be acting, you k Show more
In Chicago it's really a case of the play's the thing - people are just so happy to be acting, you know? We were all actors - not like in New York or Los Angeles, where everyone says they are actors but they are actually waiting tables and hustling for spots in commercials. We might not have been paid very much, but we were doing what we wanted to do and I got a lot of experience that way, a lot of versatility, so I was ready when a big chance came along. Hide
"The C stands for Christopher. You can blame the union for that. The Screen Actors Guild make you do Show more
"The C stands for Christopher. You can blame the union for that. The Screen Actors Guild make you do it if there's another member with the same name. I wasn't going to change my name, so I just included the middle one. It was a decision I had to make on Casualties of War (1989), my first film in 1989. I got a phone call and had to fly out to Thailand where Brian De Palma was shooting and it was a sudden decision, and I'm stuck with it. So I'm glad I didn't go for a stupid and exotic-sounding name just to grab attention, or you could be talking to a man named Tallulah or something". Hide
[on making Days of Thunder (1990)] I love Tom Cruise and think he's a great actor, but at the time i Show more
[on making Days of Thunder (1990)] I love Tom Cruise and think he's a great actor, but at the time it was all about working with Robert Duvall. That movie was a bizarre experience. I was coming off serious movies and suddenly there's Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer in their fucking heyday like "Sodom and Gomorrah". It was a fall from grace for me as a young man to see the decadence of that movie and Hollywood at its most extreme -- $100,000 parties and recruiting girls off the beach to come be extras. It was nuts. Hide
[2011, on Carnage (2011)] Living in Paris, first of all, was amazing. I was there for about 10 weeks Show more
[2011, on Carnage (2011)] Living in Paris, first of all, was amazing. I was there for about 10 weeks, altogether. It's 90 minutes in real time in one location with these four people. It was a really intense experience getting to know everyone. Intense in a good way. Jodie Foster plays my wife, Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz are the other couple; luckily there wasn't a diva in the bunch, Roman Polanski included, because it would have been tough. The set was the size of two rooms. We were in there everyday, all day, five days a week. Every character is in every minute of the script. There's no time jumps at all. Hide
John C. Reilly's FILMOGRAPHY
as Actor (177)
John C. Reilly'S roles
