Quote Of The Day By Joel Kinnaman: 'We Might Put Up A Façade That Everything Is Perfect But None Of Us Are...'

Depending on where you recognize Joel Kinnaman from likely reveals your taste in media. If you know him as Detective Stephen Holder in 2011's "The Killing," you probably like some of the best AMC TV shows and murder mysteries. But if you've seen him in "Robocop" or "The Suicide Squad," you may prefer big blockbuster action movies. If you binged "Altered Carbon" on Netflix, or Apple TV's "For All Mankind," then you've got a knack for sci-fi TV shows like "Blade Runner."

Today, Kinnaman stars in TNT's "High Value Target: The Hunt For Saddam," adding another gritty story to his resume. In it, the Swedish-American actor plays real-life CIA agent John Nixon, who interrogated Saddam Hussein in 2003. Since the gripping drama is airing its first season, we're looking to Kinnaman to deliver today's quote of the day.

"We all can relate to people's weaknesses. We might put up a façade that everything is perfect but none of us are. When we see that weakness in somebody else, we understand or give ourselves a little bit of leeway."

Joel Kinnaman's above quote comes from a 2011 interview with Vulture about his role in "The Killing," which is one of those rare crime TV shows without a single bad season. Kinnaman's character, Detective Holder, is an addict who is still working on himself while desperately trying to solve the murder of teenager Rosie Larsen (Katie Findlay). 

Kinnaman's quote is about how Holder's difficult past makes him more relatable for the audience  because nobody is perfect. Great TV often explores flawed characters because it can be entertaining watching protagonists — and antagonists — overcome great difficulty. 

Joel Kinnaman shared that imperfection is universal, though most people try to present a perfect version of how they want the world to see them. Social media is largely to blame for this, as we all want to show off our best selves to our friends, family, and followers. Realistically, the person we present to the world in an Instagram post isn't necessarily who we are away from the camera.

Though we sometimes portray a "perfect" version of ourselves, Kinnaman points out that everybody has a weakness of some kind — because that's just a part of being human. Even though we all know that everybody else is also flawed — and that weakness is relatable — it can be hard to resist the performance of perfection.

• "We retell our favorite stories. That's what we've done since we were sitting around campfires. It's a part of the human spirit. It doesn't have to be negative to creativity. It can be completely opposite. That's how you can break new ground: by rethinking something that's already been done." — from a 2012 interview with Collider

• "I think life takes place in the grey areas, or at least the interesting parts of life. I like to be a part of the stories that take place there. When it's a moral grey zone, the audience has to think about what they feel and what they think is right or wrong. You want to affect your audience and make them think." — from a 2012 interview with Collider

• "I've hurt people unnecessarily when it was about my own insecurities. But you have to make those mistakes to become a better person. I've learned to steer away from the wrong kind of woman for me." — from a 2014 interview with Cosmopolitan (via Ace Showbiz)

• "My mother helped me form a language to talk about emotions, to understand that sometimes the emotions that you feel are a result of something else." — from a 2021 interview with GQ