"I've tried writing. Two days later I'd go visit it and say, Jesus Christ, who wrote this crap?"
About this Quote
Farina’s line lands because it refuses the polite myth that creativity is a natural extension of being charismatic on camera. He’s not performing the actor-as-artist routine; he’s performing the actor-as-working-stiff, walking back into his own work like it’s a busted appliance he left running. The comic engine is timing: “Two days later” gives the writing just enough distance to stop feeling like self-expression and start feeling like evidence. Then the punch: “Jesus Christ” isn’t spiritual, it’s street-level disbelief, the exasperated oath of a guy who’s seen enough bad paperwork (and, in Farina’s case, literally came out of the Chicago police department) to know when something doesn’t hold up.
The subtext is less “I’m bad at writing” than “writing is humiliating because it removes your protective gear.” Acting is collaborative and embodied; you can hide inside direction, editing, co-stars, even a well-tailored suit. Writing traps you alone with your taste. His joke admits the brutal gap between what you think you’re putting down and what’s actually on the page once the adrenaline drains out. That’s not self-loathing; it’s a craftsman’s instinct for quality, delivered as a roast.
Context matters: Farina built a late-blooming career playing tough, funny authority figures who radiate competence. This quip punctures that image in a way that makes it sturdier, not weaker. In an industry that rewards confident bluffing, he’s selling something rarer: a candid relationship to failure that still keeps its swagger.
The subtext is less “I’m bad at writing” than “writing is humiliating because it removes your protective gear.” Acting is collaborative and embodied; you can hide inside direction, editing, co-stars, even a well-tailored suit. Writing traps you alone with your taste. His joke admits the brutal gap between what you think you’re putting down and what’s actually on the page once the adrenaline drains out. That’s not self-loathing; it’s a craftsman’s instinct for quality, delivered as a roast.
Context matters: Farina built a late-blooming career playing tough, funny authority figures who radiate competence. This quip punctures that image in a way that makes it sturdier, not weaker. In an industry that rewards confident bluffing, he’s selling something rarer: a candid relationship to failure that still keeps its swagger.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
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