I had come to the point when I realized it was unlikely that my film career was going to move beyond a certain level of role. And I was – because I had graphic instances of it – handicapped by the success of Star Trek. A director would say 'I don't want Jean-Luc Picard in my movie' – and this was compounded by X-Men as well.
My ambition was to stop waiting tables. That was how I measured success: finally I was able to stop waiting tables and I was able to pay the rent and that was by being a stand-up comic. Not a very good stand-up comic but good enough to make a living.
Next Article
With the success of the last three or so years when a lot of people start treating you differently there's a danger that you may start to think of yourself differently. You rely on your friends to say 'Hey wake up!'
