Martin Henderson Quotations

I'm quite proud of growing up in New Zealand where, from quite early on in primary school, you're learning to count in Maori, Maori mythology and dances and colours and history, and I think that gives a child a really good grounding.

There's something incredibly primal about facing something treacherous but doing it anyway.

I love new places, new people, new ideas. I love cultural differences, and I'm fascinated by the truth - all the different versions of it.

It's a great challenge to come from little New Zealand and beat the odds in Hollywood.

Most horror films fail to scare me. I think "The Ring" plays more as a psychological thriller. It's smarter, there's more character development and some of the themes explored go a little deeper.

Heath, I believed in him when I first met him, and helped and supported him. He went on to obvious success in the States and then I had him support me. It can be a lonely, horrible, hard place. It's great just to have someone to call to say 'I know, man, I was there'

I always thought I'd go to university and then get a real job, you know. Now I want to do stuff that really makes me happy. Although I'm still trying to work out what that is. But for me there are always constants.

It is a little weird now, going over to Heath's place. It's like, 'Hi Heath, hi Nomes.' Very strange!

Definitely, I'd love to do more in New Zealand if it was the right time.

During the shoot, when you're not at work, you're learning lines for the next shoot, and that can be all-consuming.

I always intended to move back to New York when I was first there.

I don't even know who my character is in 'Grey's.'

I feel for anybody who has that level of celebrity where you can't lead a normal life.

I hate talking about myself, I find it such a boring topic. I'd much rather talk about other things.

I just want to keep challenging myself. Keep moving the goalposts and raising my game.

I like dramatic stuff, and I have a goofball side, too. I like to do comedy and off-beat things as much as something really, really serious.

I think I'm fortunate as an actor in that I do seem to get opportunities to play roles that aren't necessarily typical of what I've done before.

I think it's part of my personality - I love to travel; I love different cultures and philosophies and perspectives on things.

I think the buzz of acting is playing people different to you, and for me, that means traversing all genres.

I try not to invest time in what other people think of me.

I walked two hours to an audition once and was so sweaty that someone said, 'Oh, you guys from New Zealand don't shower.'

I'm never entirely happy. That's just part of my personality, and I just have to accept that.

I'm not in a real rush to be a big star.

I've got to say, I like being the everyman.

It's a tough accent. It's difficult for actors who are not Kiwis.

Where typically the cops are generally the good guys, 'The Red Road' blurs the lines intelligently and shows corruption from all sides of the law. It provides unpredictable drama where the audience is kept guessing about how these characters will each choose to act.

When I'm not acting, I'm usually sailing or camping or exploring or travelling or spending time in New Zealand.

When I arrived in L.A., I assumed I'd be able to put on the American accent. It proved difficult, so I had six months working with a dialect coach, and it's become a habit.

Most people start eating healthy after the doctor says they have a problem. That's just human nature.

My dad was my hero when I was a young boy. And then it's a toss-up between Han Solo, the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby team, and Marlon Brando.

I went to New York for a while before I moved to L.A., and I was very clear that I didn't want to do TV. For a decade, basically, I didn't even entertain the idea.

My mother was a product of World War II. My grandfather was on leave in Edinburgh when he met my grandmother.

My mom sent me money for a car, but the cops impounded it because I had no insurance.

'Little Fish' has reminded me why I fell in love with acting in the first place.

I think mine's such a mish-mash now: I get criticised for sounding like a Yank when I come home, and everybody thinks I'm Australian when I'm in America.

You just hope that somebody makes it scary or you're going to look like an idiot!

When you're doing a one-man play, you maybe rehearse for a month, and then you're just doing it an hour or two a night.

You are constantly looking for ways to do something you haven't done before, whether it's a particular role or doing theatre. As a person, I'm really open to experience.

You are always invested in a film, but there is always a different feeling you get when you are portraying a character that is based on real life and you are re-telling events that actually took place.

We worked together in Perth on a TV show called Sweat. When I met Heath there was something extremely charismatic about him. Obviously he had talent, and I convinced him to move out of Perth and come to Sydney - the Hollywood of Australia, if you like. So I just convinced him to do that and looked after him when he arrived. We got a flat in Bondi.

With a thriller, you're going to have your red herrings, as different suspects are thrown up as possible culprits. You can only explore that for so long - if you do that more than a few times, it starts to get a little redundant.

There is nothing I feel that connected or passionate about that would take me away from acting.

What's exciting about Sundance is that they're making a name for themselves in this boutique television niche world, and there's energy behind that.

We spent a few days up Ben Nevis, which is the biggest mountain in the U.K., and there was one day when we had to make a decision whether we were going to go to the summit or not. It was already getting dark, but we made the call to go and made the summit, but as soon as we got there, this blizzard just hit.

Being an actor it's our job to tell stories. But, to me, the best stories are the ones of human condition,

Boy, we partied, man. They were crazy days, man. Just partying all the time. We'd go surfing - Heath taught me to surf - and we'd get up at 6am and take off to the northern beaches and surf in the sunrise, and then cruise around, and girls and beer and parties.

As soon as I got off the plane in L.A., I heard they'd cast the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy and that it was all being shot in New Zealand! That was pretty ironic.

The writer of 'The Red Road,' Aaron Guzikowski, deserves the credit. The fact that the dialogue is so understated is what makes this show so appealing, especially as an actor.

I've become a lot more relaxed about my career, but maybe that's a part of growing up. I realise there are things I hold dear and value, aside from professional achievements.

Sometimes you just dread reading scripts; it's like the chef who doesn't want to cook at home.

Sometimes America gets tempted by the glitz and glamour.

Alex O'Loughlin is an old friend. Actually, when he first came to L.A., he stayed at my house.

A lot of the "scare factor" comes with the editing, the effects, and the music. There were moments when Naomi and I would look at each other and say, "This is embarrassing, people are going to laugh.

It's actually reassuring to see people struggling to do our accent instead of us constantly trying to emulate British or American accents, which we are always asked to do.

It's good to see some Kiwi accents up on the big screen.

It's harder in the States. I'm much more inclined to get offered things that are a lot straighter and heavier and dramatic. And they go by looks, too. If you look like a leading man, then that's what they will consider you for.

It's very rare you get a director who's that invested in the actors. So yeah, when 'Little Fish' came around, there wasn't much negotiation!

I personally really sympathise with the Maori cause - what's gone on historically and their struggle today as a culture, and how they hold on to that identity and stand up for what's rightfully theirs.

Most horror films fail to scare me. I think The Ring plays more as a psychological thriller. It's smarter, there's more character development and some of the themes explored go a little deeper.

I'm not a big fan of horror movies, especially the recent teen-slasher sort of ones.

In LA it's kind of common to date some random girl or guy, whereas back home it's more like you'll have your group of friends and you'll all kind of hang out, and then eventually there'll be a girl in the mix, and if you get on, then the next minute you'll be together. This whole dating process doesn't happen.

The accent got lost somewhere along the way. I'm a little embarrassed about it. When I arrived in LA I assumed I'd be able to put on the American accent. It proved difficult so I had six months working with a dialect coach and it's become a habit.

You've got to not care about what people think. You learn that as an actor. If you get a bad review, will you be destroyed by it? Or will you think you're God's gift when you get a rave review?