The Drama Actors

From left: Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, Josh Charles, Jeff Daniels, Michael Sheen and Hamm were photographed March 30 at Mack Sennett Studio in Los Angeles.

Read the roundtable here.

Jon Hamm

Jon Hamm on onscreen deaths: "It depends upon the execution, no pun intended. If you watch TV, you have these expectations of how things are going to go. One big expectation is that the main characters are going to be there as long as the show is."

Hamm on Directors

"Part of it is getting them to believe and understand that actors are part of the creative process. 'I want you to say the words this way,' and I'm like, 'Well, I can, but I can also do it the way that I've worked on for 90 some-odd episodes,' " says Hamm. " 'I can bring something to this that maybe you haven't thought of.' "

Jeff Daniels

Daniels says he isn't privy to future Newsroom plots: "I don't know anything either on Newsroom. I've embraced it. Live it like a life."

Ruffalo on a Performance He’s Jealous Of

"Joaquin Phoenix in Her was envy-making for me," he says.

Liev Schreiber

“Privacy went out the window when Naomi [Watts] and I got together. I’ve adjusted, but I was worried I would be useless as an actor if I got too famous," says Schreiber.

Daniels on his ‘Newsroom’ Fear

"The amount and speed of the dialogue on Newsroom [scared me]. Making it sound like thoughts falling out of my head versus my just being able to memorize it. That's the big battle with Aaron [Sorkin]. You aren't walking around the corner [saying lines like] 'Look out!' "

Josh Charles

“There were two options: a lingering exit or pulling the cord. Killing my character was dramatic and shocking, so that was it," Charles says of leaving The Good Wife.

Michael Sheen

"I moved to L.A. 12 years ago and everyone said, ‘Don’t do TV!’ But now magazine covers mostly have TV actors, not movie stars, on them," says Sheen. "Things have really changed."

The Drama Actors

Daniels on Twitter: "I don't engage with fans at all on Twitter. I don't look at comments. I see at it as a poor man's fan club. For me it's, 'Here's a little information,' and then I shut the door. I'll post stuff that I think might entertain people, but [they're] not going to get information about me."

Horsing Around

"The consolidation of [talent] agencies has been harmful. What is it, two agencies now? Three?," says Ruffalo. "When I was coming up, there were little agencies; you could find your way in. I love my agents now [at UTA], but sometimes I look at the agency and I'm like, 'Who are they working [for]?' They're cozy with the studios!"

Hamm on His Fears

"All these guys were famous when they started their current projects. I was not," says Hamm. "I was a fifth lead on a Lifetime show then thrust into this situation, which was terrifying. I had no leverage or guarantee that anything was going to work out; that anyone would even see Mad Men or we'd even shoot a second episode."

Schreiber on Celebrity

"My biggest frustration is the culture of celebrity. It's bad for acting and storytelling when 'actors' are bigger [personalities] than their characters," says Schreiber.

Hamm on Strangest Feedback

"It's the weird passive-aggressive insults. I get this all the time: 'I just love the way you do nothing [onscreen].' I'm like, 'Well, I'm glad you like it but I'm not doing nothing. Thanks, Aunt Betty.' "

Charles on His Ideal Director

"I love a director who creates a safe area where I feel like I can just take a risk. Take one may suck, but they're not going to micromanage."

Ruffalo on Embracing the Political

"I think for a long time actors were afraid to be too political, but social media allows us to talk directly to mass groups of people," he says. "It takes the power out of the hands of, say, Fox News. It becomes more of a well-weighted game for all the individuals. I've found it to be incredibly liberating. (Laughs.) And the more I do it, the [more] activated I see people getting … or waiting to kill me for it."