well, first of all, let's set the stage or goal i set for myself when i decided to become an actor ... not just 'an actor', but a successful one. i looked in the mirror and knew with my "puss" and 155-pound weakling body, i couldn't pass for a leading man, and i had to be different. and i sure had to be courageous, so i chose to be the meanest s.o.b. in the movies ... strictly against my mild nature, as i'm an ordinary, peace-loving husband and father. inasmuch, as i admired fine actors like richard widmark, victor mature, robert mitchum, and others who had made their early marks in the dark, sordid, and guilt-ridden world of film noir; here, indeed, was a market for my talents. i thought the meaner i presented myself, the tougher i was with women, slapping them around in well produced films where evil and death seem to lurk in every nightmare alley and behind every venetian blind in every seedy apartment, i could find a market for my screen characters... at first it was very hard as i am a very even-tempered guy, but i used my past life experiences to motivate me as i thought about some of the people i hated in my early as well as later life ... like the school bully who used to try and beat the hell out of me at least once a week ... a sadistic family doctor that believed feeling pain when he treated you was the birthright of every man inasmuch as women suffered giving birth ... little incidents with trade-people who enjoyed acting superior because they owned their business, overcharging you. then the one i used when i had to slap a woman around was easy! i was slapping the over-bearing teacher who would fail you in their 'holier-than-thou' class and enjoy it! and especially the experiences i had dealing with the unbelievable pompous 'know-it-all-experts' that i dealt with during my advertising agency days ... almost going 'nuts' trying to please these 'corporate heads' until i finally got out of that racket!"