Terry O'Quinn

Terry O'Quinn: I'm a self-taught knife-thrower.

Terry O'Quinn: (about writing on "Lost") I think the writers respond to what they see in the cast big time, not necessarily in terms of story points but certainly in terms of performance points and where they take the character.

Terry O'Quinn: (on his own action figure) Well I haven't seen it. That was never one of dreams to be an action figure so I don't know. Somebody asked me if I hoped the action figure had props and I said yeah, a little gun to shoot himself (laugh). Or if you get one, buy him and release him in the garden with a little knife where he can hunt mice.

Terry O'Quinn: (on his character in "Lost", season two) A button-pusher? No. Never. I've been doing this since I was in college and before that I did nothing. The button pushing was a whole new experience for me and I found it very dissatisfying and I was unhappy for Locke. Locke was unhappy and I was very sympathetic.

Terry O'Quinn: (during his 2007 Emmy win for "Lost") I think about my castmates and my crewmates represented here by the great and glorious Michael Emerson and I realize why I have the best job in the world.

Terry O'Quinn: Really, I think of fame as distracting, it's something you have to get around.

Terry O'Quinn: I have two concerns with my work: having good things to act, and getting paid. In that order. Although if you're not getting paid well, that order can change. But that's what I'm concerned about. Good scenes. Decent money.

Terry O'Quinn: (about his cast on "Lost") I love working with Sawyer, I love working with Dominic Monaghan, I love working with Matthew, I like working with Ian. It's a bunch of good actors. My favorite person to greet when I get to work that would have to be Evangeline. She's a great hugger.

Terry O'Quinn: I don't really think about films or TV I did in terms of what was particularly good work. I tend to remember the experience more than the work.

Terry O'Quinn: (Locke is the character he plays on "Lost") I'd like to be more like Locke sometimes. I'm certainly a believer in what goes around, comes around.

Terry O'Quinn: (John Locke is the character he plays on "Lost") I believe it enhances the quality of life to believe in magic and the mystical. I like to think there are a lot of different powers and serendipitous things. We stop thinking that every person that crosses our path crosses our path for a reason and are potentially something powerful. When we stop thinking that way, life becomes less interesting and John Locke wants life to be that way. So do I, but it takes some effort.

Terry O'Quinn: I don't think I could play a character that I couldn't relate to somehow. I'm not unfamiliar with frustration, anger, shame, helplessness and a load of other emotions that make up our psycho-soup. I try to focus on that frustration, that sense of unfairness, and multiply it.

Terry O'Quinn: I so rarely turned down a role, that I can't say I have any regrets in that regard. There were many roles that I would rather not have done, but having a home and family requires that we sometimes do things we would rather not.

Terry O'Quinn: (about relating to his character on "Lost", John Locke) I can relate to somebody wanting to have something to believe in.

Terry O'Quinn: (making his assumptions on his character on "Lost" without knowing his true direction) It's almost as if Locke thinks of the Island possesses some sort of consciousness, and believes in it's benevolence, or at least it's rightness. Hey, I'm curious too.