“I ain’t the captain of the yacht, but I’m on the boat; I ain’t acting what I’m not, knowing that I don’t. You niggaz acting like you will, but I know you won’t. Man, I read between the lines of the eyes of your brows, Your handshake ain’t matchin your smile.”

PW spent time with Sigel in a New York recording studio shortly before he went away on his federal gun possession charge.

I’m caught up in the system where the blind lead the blind And this artist only speaks on the Signs of the Time. And I pop pills in Purple Rain to state my pain, They say I’m just like my father, bold and too cold.

I was never in an awkward position where I had to curb my manhood.

He paged through a book of promotional photos of himself, one of which was shot shortly after 911. It featured him holding a copy of the Bible upright in one palm while the Koran rose from the other the Twin Towers.

I don’t think there’s much a person could say about me. My gangster’s never been on trial.

I could wake up six in the morning, go downstairs and record. I learned how to use ProTools and everything. Whenever I felt it, I could record.

I can still do clothing, movies, cartoons. I’mma get mine regardless. Whether I put an album out or not, I’m still gonna see a check.

You always gotta be on time, an hour ahead of everything. You always gotta be prepared.

That’s what I do… Some people smoke weed, some people smoke cigarettes, some people snort coke… I pop pills, I smoke and I drink syrup, that’s my twist.

Some of the record company people, they wouldn’t let me put this out, … They said it would be too controversial. But this picture is saying ‘Look, they can stand together. Don’t have to be no fight.’

You don’t need Beanie Sigel in the building with a pre-perception that this crazy dude might do anything.

Pull down the shades on the windows of your soul, And gaze into your mind and watch the wisdom unfold.

Jadakiss is not no walk in no park. Nas is not no walk in no park. These are dudes that could have ended my career.

I did a lot of acting at school and university, then I went to drama school. It was quite a normal route.

There are no small parts. Only small actors.

They were all wonderful [on Andy Griffith Show], but I enjoyed Andy and Don and Ron the most. Ron played little Opie so well. He really took acting seriously and worked hard to deliver his lines well.

I’m just looking for things to steal [on working with great actors]. It’s like going back to acting school. When you’re around people that do it well and you get your head out of your ass, you can really learn something.

Acting’s always felt like a kind of creature that lays dormant and collects observations when I’m not working. And then when I’m actually doing it, it just rises up. But everything I do is more about curiosity and investigation than it is about performance.

The difference between the extras here and in France is the French extras read books. Actually, they hide the book and pretend that they’re acting. Here (in Hollywood), you can see everybody wants his break.

I wasn’t disciplined at all. As good of an athlete as I was, I was not disciplined. Had I had the drive that I have in comedy, and acting, and writing, that’s why I knew it just wasn’t right for me.

A man who strains himself on the stage is bound, if he is any good, to strain all the people sitting in the stalls.