On TV, you never know where it’s going. They may even lie to you about where it’s going. You never really know because the scripts come in every couple of weeks or so. – Jesse L. Martin
My biggest break wasn’t ‘Rent;’ it was the first job that ever paid me. I couldn’t believe that they were paying me all that money to go around the country and do Shakespeare. I would have done it for free. – Jesse L. Martin
As a student studying acting, I was always broke, so going to see any live theater was almost impossible. – Jesse L. Martin
I honestly believe there are good things happening in this world, and I’ll spend most of my time trying to find them and bring them to light. – Jesse L. Martin
Teaching is a truly noble profession. It’s sad the amount of responsibility that teachers have today. They’re not only teaching kids: they’re raising kids, policing kids – and they don’t make a lot of money. – Jesse L. Martin
The best decision I made at NYU was joining the Shakespeare ensemble. It literally led to everything I did after that. It gave me the kind of confidence I really needed. – Jesse L. Martin
I’m so not a comic book guy. The most I knew about ‘The Flash,’ as a little kid, was the Underoos. I had ‘The Flash’ Underoos. – Jesse L. Martin
Jesse Tyler Ferguson is probably one of the funniest people I’ve ever met in my life. Everything the kid does is funny. I think he tunes his life to being funny. – Jesse L. Martin
As a child, I was fortunate enough to be close to family members who were – and still are – great storytellers. I was a gullible country boy from Rocky Mount, Virginia, and I believed every folktale they told me, no matter how fantastic. – Jesse L. Martin
Shakespeare in the Park is one of the greatest gifts in New York City. You just have to wait for the tickets – and it’s worth the wait. – Jesse L. Martin
I didn’t read comic books, growing up. I was more of a science fiction/fantasy novel guy. I loved reading Edgar Rice Burroughs’ ‘Tarzan’ and that kind of stuff. – Jesse L. Martin
‘Law & Order’ was so very interesting to me because what I got to do was explore New York along with getting to work with some of the best actors New York City had to offer. – Jesse L. Martin
I think I might want to get into development, as in developing my own sort of piece, whether it be for the stage or the big screen or for television. – Jesse L. Martin
‘The Merchant of Venice’ is a straightforward, clear story, while ‘The Winter’s Tale,’ as a general rule, is hard to present because there is so much plot. – Jesse L. Martin
I was in ‘Rent,’ for God’s sake. The closest we came to stunts was dancing on a table. – Jesse L. Martin
Jerry Orbach was the first person to take me to the Friars Club. It’s a beautiful building, and you walk into these halls of comedic history and meet these old cats who could tell you a million stories about how things went down in New York City. – Jesse L. Martin
Go back to what’s good, what’s certain, what’s always there. You woke up today. Just start walking. Whatever it is, it’ll pass. Time doesn’t go backward. That’s the one real blessing. It happened; it does you no good to worry. Keep it movin’. – Jesse L. Martin
You remember what you go through as a kid, what’s going to make you listen, what’s going to make you respond. I held onto that. People who treated me like that when I was younger got every bit of respect and attention I could give them, because I knew that they were coming at me from almost an equal level. – Jesse L. Martin
