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" When you become an actor, at some point you look for something that brings you back to your roots. You find something that people around your neighborhood can relate to. People that you're close with can relate to. "

Mekhi Phifer

Look

People

Roots

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" Toronto is like a smaller, safe New York. "

" If you go into something saying, 'I'm the bad guy,' you do yourself a disservice as an actor. It's always about trying to find the humanity in a character. "

" I love character-driven, well-written, great storytelling types of films, and I think that 'My Cousin Vinny' just hit the nail on the head with everything. It's one of those movies that, if I'm flipping through the channels, no matter what part it's on, I can watch it. It's just one of my favorites. "

" With my first son I cut his umbilical cord and everything, so I'm a hands-on father, to say the least. "

" A lot of characters I've played have a certain amount of strength, pride, and leadership. "

" I love kids, outings, camping, sports, Legoland, all the Daddy stuff. I love it. I wish I could just do that, but I have to work, too. "

" I tend to play more true-to-life characters in real situations. "

" Being from New York, living in L.A., being in Chicago, you kind of get more of the big-city, melting-pot sort of thing. But when you drive through the country, there's so many small pockets of people that don't experience people of different backgrounds. So what they've seen on television is their baseline. "

" I want to see my family prosper, see my kids grow old. "

" Actors look at life in a different way. When I meet people, I know that one day I may portray that person or someone like them. It may be a cop or a homeless guy. It helps you to pay more attention to people. Everyone I meet, I retain something from them, something from their personality. It helps me to portray realism in my work. "

" I always try to pick and choose projects that will be impactful to someone. From films like 'Clockers' to playing a doctor on 'ER' to doing '8 Mile,' where I'm in charge of the hip-hop battles, I think it affects all kinds of different audiences. And I just try to keep that in mind, to keep people entertained. "

" I think, in any artist's mind, you can't just be into yourself. You have to look at the world in an objective view. "

" I hated how Sam Rothstein got manipulated by Sharon Stone's character in 'Casino.' I mean, I just hate how he gets manipulated; that just gets ridiculous to me. I know it's historic, but I hated that. "

" Rap is definitely a youthful expression. "

" I've gotten to travel all over the world and meet all kinds of people and do all kinds of great things, so it's, like, surreal. It just lets you know how time flies, especially when you're having fun. It seems like time keeps going by faster as I get older. "

" I always try to bring a certain masculine presence to what I do. That is part of the dynamic. "

" I've done 21 films in eight years, and I've said 'No' more times than I've done films. "

" I love anything that really pushes the envelope as far as where it takes your mind. When it's well written and brings you into a world that possibly could be, I think that's the most entertaining for me - to see something that could actually take place and causes you to think. "

Mekhi Phifer

Think

Love

" There's no question that I'm African-American. OK? I'm a black man. We're not going to escape that. "

Mekhi Phifer

Question

Man

" I'm from Harlem, born and raised there. "

" I've dated interracially a lot. I grew up in Harlem, so I've dated Latins, Dominican, Guyanese, Cuban, black, white. "

" I love working with Sally Field, and Steve Buscemi is one of the most giving, talented actors I've ever worked with. "

" My agents usually get a breakdown of all the projects that are out there. When I got 'Divergent,' they hadn't finished the script. They knew they wanted the leader of the Dauntless to have a certain demeanor and energy. They had me read a short monologue, and I got the part. "

Mekhi Phifer

Got

Energy

" I grew up in a rough environment. You want to be strong and have your presence felt out there. That attitude reflects how people see you. "

" I loved the extended version of 'Aliens' because it shows just a little bit more that you don't see and what they always show on television. "

" I almost turned down '8 Mile.' I was due to start 'ER,' and I learned they really wanted me to be in '8 Mile.' I didn't know Eminem; I just knew he was a rapper and saw what everyone else saw in the media. I thought they were just trying to capitalize on his popularity. "

" When you're working and making money, that's all good, but there has to be something that provides a substance, I think. "

" In the early '80s, it was hard to find celebrities you can identify with if you lived in the hood. There weren't any rap videos at the time. "

" Once or twice a week, I try to do some kind of boxing. I'm hitting the bags and jumping rope - all that stuff. "

" Wales was great. The people were great, and I had a great time there. "