Growing up, I was always called Jason Patric, especially when I was bad. It's also mildly Oedipal. You have to kill the parents in order to become yourself. - on why he dropped his last name Show less «

"My grandfather was a very talented man but he was never part of my emotional life so I refuse to make him part of my professional life." -On his grandfather, Jackie Gleason. Show less «

"I'm 32. When I look back on my career, I like that I was so brazen in my 20s. I only wish there had been more of those kinds of hard-edged scripts available to me." - On his career (1998). Show less «

"I wanted to skim into the global marketplace so that I could make small movies like Your Friends & Neighbors (1998). There was enough hype around Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) that I was able to get the funding for Your Friends & Neighbors (1998)" - On why he did Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997). Show less «

(2011) Before I did Narc (2002), I hadn't worked in three years. I just didn't find things I wanted to do. I had just produced Your Friends & Neighbors (1998), which was exhausting and good, and I didn't find anything worth working on for three years. That's suicide in this business because you have to remain in the forefront of people's minds and certainly on-screen, but I didn't care about that. Early, the movies I was interested in, people's work is what propelled their career. That has changed vastly, immeasurably. It started to change when I started and now it absolutely makes no sense of difference, whatsoever. Doesn't matter if you have talent. Doesn't matter what you've done before and, frankly, the people with a lot of talent don't give a shit if they make crappy movies for money because it's actually more respected than their better movies. Show less «

"I'm willing to take less money and fourth billing and do interesting roles. I hate putting Limitations on myself. I don't set out to sell popcorn or make money for the major studios. What I'd like is for my work to have meaning." - On his career choices (1987). Show less «

(2011, on fame) I'm not addicted to it like 99 percent of every actor in Hollywood, even our 65-year-old so-called legends are so addicted to remaining stars that they're in the kind of movies that would not be toilet paper in their classics. I don't have to name them. Show less «

I made three movies in one year, I think 1995, and I was unhappy with all of them. Sleepers (1996), Incognito (1997) and Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997). I didn't like making them or the end product. "Sleepers" was a little bloated and removed. When I got it, it didn't have a lot of people attached. Ultimately, when we were filming it, I didn't buy the story, either. Incognito, they fired the director. Before "Speed 2", I had been offered a lot of action movies. They're all sequels, in my opinion. I did "Speed 2" because I was told it was foolproof. Jan de Bont's first two movies had made a billion dollars. It had a billion dollars. They wanted me for some form of acting that I was not able to do. I wanted to make it sexy. I like Sandy [Sandra Bullock], but I think she was in a different world. Show less «

It's a joke. These young guys - they become famous for having filthy mouths, bad habits, saying really unique things like, 'I like to drink, smoke and have sex.' Oh really? Shouldn't you get back to the frat house? - on Hollywood Show less «

(2011, on the rumors that he turned down The Firm (1993)) I turned down some incarnation of "The Firm" years ago, but that would make it seem like I turned down the big hit movie. No, the movie's a hit because Tom Cruise is in it. The shitty script that I got was not going to be a hit with me in it. Trust me. Show less «

(2011, on Jackie Gleason) I didn't grow up with him. It's just one of those things. I never talked about my dad growing up and I never talked about my grandfather growing up, certainly as a young actor because I wanted no nepotism, whatsoever. I just didn't want a paragraph written about me that had nothing to do with who I was; it was just genetic circumstance. I only saw him a handful of times in my life. He's had as much effect on me as he's had on you. He has nothing to do with me or my bloodline; I'm not a thoroughbred or purebred dog or something. Really, it has no bearing whatsoever but really it looks good in US magazine. He was just more of a hermit. Show less «

"We all want to be loved. If we can't find love in a relationship we try to find it in our work. No matter how many times you get burned or how many of your relationships go sour, no one's ever going to give up on relationships," - On love. Show less «

"He's so secure in himself that he's not afraid to reveal anything about himself. As a rule, guys don't talk to other people about their real feelings. That's what's makes the sauna scene in Your Friends & Neighbors (1998) so shocking." - On his controversial film character. Show less «

"I knew dating (Roberts) would be trouble. I just didn't know how much of an impact it would have on my privacy. Because I'm such a private person, what happened was the ultimate nightmare. I had worked for the first six years of my career to be as anonymous as possible and, in the space of a few weeks, I was one of the most public people in the world just because I was dating a famous person who liked to be in the press and who courted the press." - On dating Julia Roberts. Show less «