"There are two kinds of people in this world: Michael Jackson fans and losers." "Doing something because it's quote-unquote a good career move doesn't really appeal to me. There's never a surefire good career move except doing good work." [May 30, 2003] [of being famous:] "It's a period of adjustment. I've gotten a lot better at it. After working for 18 years, all of a sudden I became successful on a level where other people knew it. It's not a cat you can put back in the bag." [about being a child star:] "My childhood success came and went real fast. Between 12 and 16, I grew -- as much as I was going to, anyway -- and no longer looked the same. Like most child actors, I found it a difficult adjustment. Still, I've done so many things that I wasn't associated with one thing. I'm an actor, not a celebrity. When recognition became an issue a few years ago, part of me felt undeserving. Desperate to maintain my popularity, I was performing all the time. Then, I caught a glimpse of myself at the MTV Music Awards -- dressed in leather, grasping for jokes -- and set about changing my habits. Now that I've stopped trying so hard, I'm more comfortable in my skin." [on improvising:] "... three movies with Mike Myers certainly loosened me up. He told me that there's a switch in your brain that censors you, makes you second- guess. You have to turn it off, shut out the fear of being embarrassed and making a mistake. Being a good improvisational actor is all about being in the scene, getting out of your head. Conan O'Brien is my favorite interviewer because he pays attention and has no game plan." [of his character Lyle in The Italian Job:] "There's no greater way to gain an audience's sympathy than by being unfortunate. My main goal was to not make him this mono-dimensional computer guy. There had to be a reason this guy could hang with this tough crew. I didn't want him to be dorky, but a little unfortunate and a little embittered, the kind of guy who has this massive motorcycle he can't even ride." [on his character Lyle in The Italian Job (who speaks a lot of technical jargon:] "I don't believe in e-mail. I rarely use a cell phone and I don't have a fax. But part of the reason I got this job is that I'm good at making complicated technical terms sound normal. It sounds obnoxious, but I compare it to doing Shakespeare. You just figure out the emotional content of the line and go with that. It doesn't matter what you're saying if you come from an honest place. Though most people don't know half the words, you don't have to dumb down. I hate when they show a policeman saying "I've got a 3-U at Baker Street ... breaking and entering." No one talks like that." God is, to me, pretty much an idea. God is, to me, pretty much a myth created over time to deny the idea that we're all responsible for our own actions. [on improvising dialogue as Scott Evil in scenes with Mike Myers in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery:] "[Dr. Evil's] whole shhh! thing was made up on the spot. It's a testament to Mike Myers' brilliance. They just keep going after the written scene is over, and fucking magic happens." (May 14, 1999) [on playing the character Oz in Buffy the Vampire Slayer:] "The script that wooed me was for the episode where I first turn into a werewolf. Before I signed, Joss said, 'Read this. This is what we're thinking.' It had all this metaphorical stuff and gave strong shades to the character. I said, 'Yeah, I want to be a part of this.'" (May 14, 1999)