Biografia

[on acting in blaxploitation movies] To me, it was amusement and I looked at it like this: I basically played myself. I never did anything that I had to go outside myself to do. Playing yourself isn't the easiest thing in the world, because you have to be very relaxed and be conscious of what you do in order to do what they want and do both well at the same time. I think real actors, when you talk about James Earl Jones and people like that, they can play other people. Their craft is to be somebody else perfectly. I played myself and I sincerely believe that Fred Williamson plays himself. That's the way I saw it.

Could I ever be a good actor? I think I could be very good if I decided to concentrate on it. When you become really aware of the tremendous amount of work that you have to put in to reach the level of performance that Jack Nicholson or James Earl Jones or any of the real greats, you have to say to yourself, "I'm not willing to do that." I'm not willing to do that. I'm thankful and grateful for having participated as much as I did, just being me. And I never regretted being away from it. I never had any recriminations or laments, none at all. I'm flattered when somebody even begins to remember something like that. It's amazing that it can mean more 25 years later than it did while it was happening.