This is the kind of stuff that only happens to me.

A few years ago, a director friend of mine was going to be doing "Of Mice and Men." He mentioned that he had the perfect part for me. My ears perked up at the thought of playing Lennie or George. He leans in and says, "do you remember the guy who kills the dog?" I immediately said, "that's what you think of when you think of me? The guy who kills the dog?"

Another story. A director calls me up to help fill a last minute replacement in her production of "Urinetown." She talks a few minutes about her vision of the play and how another director spoke so highly of me, that she'll cast me without an audition. Feeling flattered, I ask what part she has in mind. Her response, "a pee person."

A good friend says he has a script that I would be perfect for. I ask him to briefly describe it. I would be playing a has-been, alcoholic author.

I should end by saying that I am quite comfortable with the term "character actor." It's what I am and it's what I do. Often the character parts are far more interesting than the leads, even if they do involve less kissing of attractive women. But, like everyone on the planet, I do have an ego and it is amusing when your idea of yourself gets juxtaposed against your acting abilities. But one thing these experiences have taught me is that actors have to learn to view themselves from the outside. Your strengths as an actor are not the same as your strengths as a person.

In other words, don't be afraid to play the dog killer.