James Caan

People are always backing up when I'm just going to shake their hands.

I remember at 16 years old, growing up in Queens, we were punks, but hey, when we went to the theater, we wore a shirt and tie! Similarly, I believe that to keep movie theaters in existence, they're gonna have to make 'em an event, have a couch, a table and drinks or something. Otherwise, there's no reason to get out of your bed!

What's the difference between sex and love? I have four wives and five kids. I apparently don't know the difference.

To get over my divorce, I got a prescription to live at the Playboy Mansion for a while.

It is that, but really, it's about how we don't recognise the little things in life, or appreciate the little things in life like belonging. A sense of belonging is a big thing today.

I went to a shrink once, but I caught him going to a fortune-teller so I quit.

Saving a letter from an old friend doesn't exist anymore. Everything is texted or emailed.

There's nothing more boring than actors talking about acting.

I think we have to believe in things we don't see. That's really important for all of us, whether it's your religion or Santa Claus, or whatever. That's pretty much what it's about.

I play a guy who believes he's a king. He's the most common man in the world; in fact his family, like his suits, are just make-up. It's about dysfunctional people and dysfunctional relationships.

I always thought of myself as some sort of athlete until I started playing golf a couple years ago.

I'm sort of a Walter Mitty. I got fewer brain cells than most people, so when I got friendly with cowboys, I started rodeoing. When I was calf-roping, there was something about the dirt that made me feel clean.

My kid was a great baseball player. I thought I had it made. Front-row seats at Yankee Stadium. Then he turned sixteen and wanted to be a rapper.

You're the only one who's closing your eyes at night. There's no one else who can do it for you.

There's a big difference between wanting to work and having to work. And I had to learn that the hard way. Now money is very important to me, because I ain't got it.

I'm here instead of having shoulder surgery. But I'm not sure which is more painful.

There are a lot of guys in Hollywood who clap you on the back just a little too hard.

I never rode a bull - I'm not that stupid.

I've been lucky. The critics never went out of their way to single me out for doing bad work.

Actors have bodyguards and entourages not because anybody wants to hurt them - who would want to hurt an actor? - but because they want to get recognized. God forbid someone doesn't recognize them.

It's a very charming movie about the mob - a real stretch for me.

I don't think silicone makes a girl good or bad.

Showing up every day isn't enough. There are a lot of guys who show up every day who shouldn't have showed up at all.

No matter what heights you achieve, even if you're Brad Pitt, the slide is coming, sure as death and taxes.

One night I went over to get some dope from some Hollywood tough guy. After I left, my son Scott, who was only fifteen, went over with a baseball bat to kill him. I was laughing out of one eye and crying out of the other. I thought, Who am I kidding?

I really believe that you grow up a certain way in New York. There's a New York morality, a sense of loyalty. You know how to win and lose. There's a thousand kids outside, you know who to push and who not to push. There's a sixth sense you develop just because it's New York.

You have to be very careful when you let someone win.

My least favorite phrase in the English language is "I don't care."

To get over my divorce I got a prescription to live at the Playboy Mansion for a while.

I won't mention names, but in my career, the most talented people invariably are the easiest and nicest to get along with.

I never saw my dad cry. My son saw me cry. My dad never told me he loved me, and consequently I told Scott I loved him every other minute. The point is, I'll make less mistakes than my dad, my sons hopefully will make less mistakes than me, and their sons will make less mistakes than their dads.

Some guys say beauty is only skin deep. But when you walk into a party, you don't see somebody's brain. The initial contact has to be the sniffing.

Anyone of my generation who tells you he hasn't 'done Brando' is lying.

There's nothing more boring than actors talking about acting.

My least favorite phrase in the English language is 'I don't care.'

People wonder why first-time directors can make a brilliant picture, then suck on the second one. It's because they're a little terrified the first time. So they listen to all the experts around them.