Karl Urban Quotes

New Zealand, Actor
June 7, 1972

Karl-Heinz Urban (born 7 June 1972) is a New Zealand actor. He has played Julius Caesar and Cupid in Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Éomer in the second and third installments of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Munder in Ghost Ship, Kirill in The Bourne Supremacy, Black Hat in Priest, John Grimm in Doom, William Cooper in Red, Gavin in Pete's Dragon, Vincent in The Loft, Vaako in the second and third installments of the Riddick film series, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond, and Judge Dredd in Dredd. He won acclaim for his performances in New Zealand films The Price of Milk and Out of the Blue. He also played the main character John Kennex in the short-lived television series Almost Human. He plays Skurge in the 2017 Marvel Studios film Thor: Ragnarok.

Also known as Stage Actor, Film Actor

It was always something I knew I was capable of and from an early age my mother was involved in the film industry. She used to work at a production company. So I was exposed to a renaissance period of films in New Zealand back in the early 80's.

Karl Urban
- Work
- Mother
- Film
I never envisioned when I was reading that comic as a 17-year-old that I would have the opportunity to actually play the character.

Karl Urban

It's such a small industry here you inevitably end up working with the same people over and over again. There are only so many actors to go around, which is good for us.

Karl Urban
- People
- Up
- Good
I don't believe I could work as effectively at what I do without the support of my wife.

Karl Urban
- Work
- Believe
- Support
I like the timeframe involved in being an actor.

Karl Urban
- Like
- Actor
- Being
Nothing beats a great smile.

Karl Urban
- Great
- Smile
- Nothing
I'll need every ounce that I have to drive it through. Film and TV require that energy. Sometimes fight scenes can be pretty intense. When I was shooting 'Heaven' it was truly guerrilla film-making.

Karl Urban
- Pretty
- Energy
- Heaven
I don't see a benefit in accepting every single little morsel of work that comes along because I think, in essence, what you're doing is you're raping yourself really.

Karl Urban
- Work
- Think
- Single

When you work so hard on making a film, it's all worthwhile when you get to experience seeing that film with an audience who thoroughly enjoy it and react to the movie.

Karl Urban
- Work
- Experience
- Movie
I'm high energy.

Karl Urban
- High
- Energy
- High Energy
There's only so much you can do until you get on set and see the aesthetics of what you're dealing with. Then you see what the other players are giving to you. It's all about the transfer of energy between different actors.

Karl Urban
- Different
- Giving
- Energy
That is a big danger, losing your inspiration. When I work in film and television I try to do each take a little differently. I never want to do the same thing twice, because then you're not being spontaneous, you're just recreating something.

Karl Urban
That's always an interesting concept when you try to make your dream into a reality and you come up against the facts of exactly what it is you're attempting to do.

Karl Urban
- Up
- Dream
- Reality
When I work, I try to eat as much vegetarian as possible. When I do Cupid, I eat vegetarian because I need the energy. I've got those wings on my back.

Karl Urban
- Work
- Energy
- Wings

Now I'm this far up the ladder and I've got so much farther to go with what I want to achieve with it.

Karl Urban
- Up
- Want
- Achieve
If I read a script and find it engaging and I start making choices in my mind on how to approach the work, than that's a good indication that it is something worth pursuing.

Karl Urban
- Good
- Work
- Mind
I love fishing and surfing, and I work out every day.

Karl Urban
- Work
- Love
- Day
I did a little theatre work after that and the following year I got another part in a television series. Then it was almost to the end of the year before I got more work. That was coming to terms with the reality of the vocation I had chosen.

Karl Urban
- Work
- Reality
- End
I was a fan of the 'Dredd' comics when I was a teenager.

Karl Urban
- Teenager
- Fan
- Comics
My philosophy is whatever you do, you've got to invest in yourself. If you don't, there are a lot of people out there who will get the job because they're more prepared than you.

Karl Urban
- People
- Job
- Yourself