I hate vacations. There's nothing to do.

Films have degenerated to their original operation as carnival amusement - they offer not drama but thrills.

The Oscars demonstrate the will of the people to control and judge those they have elected to stand above them (much, perhaps, as in bygone days, an election celebrated the same).

Every scene should be able to answer three questions: "Who wants what from whom? What happens if they don't get it? Why now?"

When the three branches of government have failed to represent the citizenry and the mass of the media has failed to represent the citizenry, then the citizenry better represent the citizenry.

Forget narrative, backstory, characterisation, exposition, all of that. Just make the audience want to know what happens next.

It is the writer’s job to make the play interesting. It is the actor’s job to make the performance truthful.

Opportunity may knock, but it seldom nags.

We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.

People may or may not say what they mean... but they always say something designed to get what they want.

Being a writer in Hollywood is like going to Hitler's Eagle Nest with a great idea for a bar mitzvah.

So I had this completely unrealistic idea of what America was — but I wanted to be there.

I can't believe that I'm on the Olympic team.

I've always loved musical theatre. I've always been a big kind of closeted musical theatre nerd. I really have always dreamed about being able to do musical theatre.

Being on TV is like being alive, only more so.

The beauty is that it's all a part of this wonderful dream I had in college. It's beautiful to see what it's turned into. It's the journey that I'm most proud of.

Climate change is such a huge issue that it requires strong, concerted, consistent and enduring action by governments.

In order to have influence, you have to be influenced.

I never get bored, because there’s always different puzzles, I’m wearing different clothes, there’s different contestants, there’s different prizes.

I believe in religion against the religious; in the pitifulness of orisons, and in the sublimity of prayer.

I find my movie props in my neighbors houses.