James Ransone

I like female directors that gravitate toward masculine things. I think the danger of a male director is the over-fetishization of the masculinity.

The characters I play always seem eerily appropriate to where I am in my personal life at the time, and if they're not, there always tends to be this notion that I should be learning something to apply to my own life from these people.

I'm friends with a lot of Brits, and they tell me when they're over here what a huge phenomenon 'The Wire' has become. Some things just attain critical mass after they're already dead and buried, and I don't know why it was the case with 'The Wire'.

There is no external means, whether it's my career, or money or house or a wife or anything, that is going to set me right.

I just auditioned for 'The Wire' like I just auditioned for any other job.

A lot of my world-view is formed by the places I've been.

Sometimes actresses are just insane.

I like theater; I just don't really like actors.

In my twenties, I was a huge, insane risk-taker.

I'm such a hater, and will hate on anything.

Animals are a continuous source of inspiration and wonder to me. I would love to play a dog.

There's a bunch of cities I'm not crazy about, but I love Chicago. I love the musical history - the mid-'90s indie rock scene, Chicago house music. It's a great town.