Lebowski Quotes

(on deciding to do The Big Lebowski) When I was offered the part of The Dude in The Big Lebowski, I went through a big thing in my head worrying if this was going to be a bad example for my girls. The guy was kind of an anti-hero, a pot-smoking, slacker kind of guy, and I was really racking my brain about it. I always want to feel free to play any role, a despicable guy or a good guy -- the full range of human experience. But this one was really giving me problems. So I assembled the family and told them my problem. After a long pause, my middle girl said, `Dad, you`re an actor. We know that it`s all pretend what you do. We know that when you kiss some lady on the screen that you still love Mom. We know you`re an actor.` So I had their permission, their blessing, to go play a character like The Dude. That was great that they understood that. And I count on the audiences to understand that what I do in my personal life and what I do on the screen are not some kind of example for them to base their lives on. Hopefully, when people see a movie, they know it`s a movie.

It`s the Coen brothers, and you never think you`re going to get to work with people like that. I thought I`d never get the part. So I wanted to do something very weird. I went in and started ranting and raving and they were laughing their asses off. I was petrified but, I figured, at least they laughed a lot. - On getting his part in the Big Lebowski.