The majority of work I do is in independent films, where you're lucky if you have five takes.

And I have a really great agent and I know it's almost an oxymoron to say you have a smart agent. But she is and she has a beautiful aesthetic and she has guided me.

New Orleans. Born and raised. I lived there until I was 19.

Talent is a very potent aphrodisiac. When someone is incredibly gifted, I find them incredibly sexy.

I always try to approach character first and foremost viscerally.

If my gravy train stops at SAG, honey, it's been a great ride.

The odds are not in your favor the older you get, especially if you're a woman in this business.

I think it's always harder in a film to convey intimacy.

I'm really a director's actor. I rely heavily on a director.

See, the SAG awards caught me totally by surprise.

But no, had I been successful in my 20s I would have been just fine. But it is nice to defy the odds.

For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.

Let your passion become a passionate pursuit of Me. And as you follow, the sheep will follow.' (John 21:20-22)

There's always a bit of suspense about the particular way in which a given school year will get off to a bad start.

With or without the title, Bobby Fischer was unquestionably the greatest player of his time

(Greg) Maddux is a master. He carved us up. He didn't give us anything good to hit.

I love America more than any other country in the world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.

I also believe that at a critical point (more than six people?), that collective wisdom turns into group think.

I enjoy being a hyphenate. I've always thought of my career as a plate spinner in the circus.

Most of us are wiser than we may appear to be. … On one level, wisdom is nothing more profound than an ability to follow one’s own advice.

Idle dreaming is often of the essence of what we do.