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· collected 2026-09-06 · by Lori Bashian, Larry Fink
Actor William Fichtner, 69, discussed his approach to selecting roles in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. He stated that he has "never" regretted turning down a project and will only take on roles if they align with his personal boundaries. According to Fichtner, he has turned down roles for both artistic and financial reasons, including jobs that were "really good money." Fichtner currently stars in the Apple TV miniseries "Lucky", where he praised co-star Anya Taylor-Joy's performance as a standout moment in filming the series finale.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
William Fichtner, a 69-year-old actor, has spoken out about his approach to choosing roles. He claims to have "never" regretted turning down a project, even if it was successful, as long as he didn't believe in the script or felt it crossed certain boundaries. Fichtner, who stars in Apple TV's "Lucky," says he trusts his instincts and will pass on opportunities that don't align with his values. He has also admitted to turning down roles for good pay, rather than compromising his artistic vision. According to Fichtner, he can immediately tell when a script isn't right for him, and will often joke about throwing it away and going shopping at Costco instead.
Written for “Actor Stands Up for Integrity” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
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No political leaning scored for article 5655 · logged 2026-09-06
"Lucky" star William Fichtner has no problem turning down a role if it crosses his boundaries.
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it → have → boundaries
During a recent interview with Fox News Digital, the 69-year-old actor shared that he has "never" regretted saying no to a project, even if it turned out to be a big success.
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it → share → project
"I've been a bit pickier and choosier at moments in my life where I probably didn't have a right to be," he said.
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he → have → right
"But if I didn't believe it, if I didn't think that I could do something with it, and there are certain lines that I just don't cross.
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I → believe → that
But, if I don't have a belief in it, then I have a little bit of a fear that I don't want to be bad, and I just won't take the journey."
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I → have → journey
He explained that he doesn't "hold it as a badge of honor," that he has said no to a few "jobs that were really good money," and described knowing immediately that "this isn't happening" when reading something he doesn't like.
"
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he → explain → something
Then my wife looks at me and goes, 'You like it, right?'
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You → look → it
Are we going to the store now?
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we → go → store
We've got to go to Costco, right?
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We → get → Costco
'" he said.
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he → say → ?
Fichtner plays Wayne Whittaker in the Apple TV miniseries, which aired its series finale, titled "All Good Things," on Wednesday, Aug. 19.
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which → play → Wednesday
WATCH: William Fichtner has never regretted turning down a role
The show stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Luciana "Lucky" Armstrong, a reformed criminal who is forced to engage in unlawful activities one last time, in order to secure her freedom and permanently leave behind her former life of crime.
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who → watch → crime
In the finale, Fichtner and Taylor-Joy's characters have a showdown, with the actor praising "The Queen's Gambit" star, noting "she plays it perfectly," as he recalled what it was like to film the scene.
"
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it → have → scene
I remember it was five days in this like high desert.
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it → remember → desert
But I gotta tell you something, man, it was hot.
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it → got → something
And I just remember that it just it fed into all of this intensity," he said.
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he → remember → intensity
"She plays it perfectly.
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She → play → it
It's written perfectly.
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It → write → ?
She is not backing down.
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She → back → ?
She's going to throw some things at me and there's a curveball in there that is like, okay, all right, I gotta give this woman her due.
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I → go → due
When it came time to filming the chaotic scene, Fichtner joked that when he arrived on set and saw "this very beautiful, petite woman standing there with these incredible eyes that look right through you," he thought, "We're in the middle of all of this like havoc and this did that," referring to Taylor-Joy.
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this → come → Joy
William Fichtner described working with Anya Taylor-Joy on the final episode of 'Lucky'
Fichtner started his acting career in the 1990s, going on to become one of the most recognizable supporting actors of the 2000s.
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Fichtner → describe → 2000s
His most recognizable role is FBI Special Agent Alexander Mahone in "Prison Break," which he starred in from 2006 to 2009.
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he → star → 2009
Having worked on both a miniseries and a series with multi-season arcs, he was able to compare how he prepared for each.
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he → work → each
You could be finishing up season two, episode 10.
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You → finish → season
Your last shooting day is on a Wednesday and Wednesday afternoon you get episode 11 and you start tomorrow
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you → get → episode
," he said.
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he → say → ?
"You're putting the pieces together, but you know your character, you just don't know what road he's gonna walk down in the next episode.
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he → put → episode
"
WATCH: William Fichtner compares working on a limited series to a multi-season show
He added: "It's different with a limited series.
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It → watch → series
You do have the scripts, you do see the arc of the character."
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you → have → character
