'Goliath' star Billy Bob Thornton on the importance of keeping your dreams alive
Billy Bob Thornton is living his best life.
Thornton, 64, is having a great time starring in the legal drama series, "Goliath," which has just been renewed for a third season. He recently stopped by ABC News and shared a few colorful stories about what happens behind the scenes while filming, including a time when the show's director wanted to offer him tips on playing an intoxicated character.
"He was showing me how to be drunk in the scene and I said, 'Let me explain something to you. I've been drunk since 7:30 this morning. This is exactly how it looks,'" Thornton joked.
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Thornton plays Billy McBride, a down-and-out lawyer seeking redemption while trying to turn things around in his life.
"The character has always been not just a lawyer, he's always been kind of a detective," Thornton said on "Popcorn with Peter Travers." "You combine 'Columbo' and (Jack) Nicholson in 'Chinatown' and Paul Newman in 'The Verdict,' and that's really sort of what the character is."
Thornton told Travers he kind of takes the character home with him because the role he plays is so similar to who he is in real life.
"I've been playing the character long enough now, where I really feel like the things are happening to me," he said. "I feel like I am that guy now. I even have business cards. The prop guys gave me Billy McBride, Attorney at Law cards. And every now and then I think maybe I'll try and get out of a ticket with this thing."
Thornton said even with the success of his show, he keeps his focus on the big picture.
"You have to find a way to keep your dreams alive because it affects your work if you don't," he said. "Once you stop dreaming, you're done in this business, I believe."
"So that's what I try to do," he added. "My dream is that this show is going to do really well this year. And that I'm going to create something myself maybe for Amazon because I haven't written in a while. Or that movie will come along that is going to be my best one ever. I still look for that instead of resting on the laurels of 'Sling Blade' or 'Monster's Ball.' And if you keep thinking that, it shows in your work."
Watch the full interview with Peter Travers and Billy Bob Thornton in the video above.
