I think that when John started out, he had the desire to be a voice on the radio, but he didn't anticipate a grueling tour schedule and all that. I don't think he necessarily wanted to play live. I had a book listing the gigs that they played back then, and it was unbelievable. In the late '60s he was still driving to concerts himself. |
I thought, he feels more comfortable with the guitar, and he just started strumming. It was amazing. It was like a brand new body, suddenly. I've never seen anything like that. |
I was an actor because the work was rewarding. I never imagined that it would all lead to this moment. |
I was excited by how heavily involved Jim Mangold had been with John in writing the script and how Jim was determined to get it right. That really meant a lot. It took some of the pressure off, because John was someone whose integrity you could always sense. People appreciated John's genuineness. |
I was fascinated that this was the same person. |
I went out and bought every album I could, ... It was interesting to get his early music and hear how an artist develops. And I found the music was the gateway to Johnny. I found his speaking voice through his singing voice. |
I went to have dinner at their house before I even heard about the movie. We were in their living room and John just started strumming. He said he was waiting for June before he could get his nerve up. And I thought, 'Wow, this is Johnny Cash waiting to get his nerve up. This guy has played prisons and he's nervous.' Then June came in and they started singing On the Banks of the River Jordan and they're looking into each other's eyes, and the connection and love they had was palpable. |
I'm kind of cynical about married people or couples singing together. I've seen it manipulated too many times, ... But it was truly magical when they did it. They just looked into each other's eyes and he'd soften. |
I'm not John. I don't have that voice. ... Walk the Line. |
I'm shocked when I don't get fired, so to get a nomination is a pleasant surprise. |
I'm terrible at metaphors or analogies. I don't know the difference, actually, ... For me, acting is like your dad teaching you to ride a bicycle. You feel totally vulnerable at first. You imagine yourself getting hurt, and the only thing that prevents you from crashing is your dad is running after you, holding on to the back of your seat. You keep looking over your shoulder at him, and he's going, 'You're doing it, kid.' And then, all of a sudden, you're, like, 'Why are you still holding on, Dad? Let go.' |
I’m not a singer by any means. If it was a fictional character where it was a made-up voice, it might have been harder. But I had a specific voice to go after, so I had to work specific muscles and really work at hitting certain notes. It was nice to have a recognizable voice as a goal. |
If people want to hear Johnny Cash, he has made a couple of records, they can check 'em out, ... If they want to see him, there's video, there's documentaries. |
It was amazing meeting him, |
It was magical to be able to explore the young Johnny Cash and his music. But you worry about people's expectations. There's a concern about people saying, 'Well, that's not Johnny Cash'. |