To make a film, the final big collaborator that you have is the composer.

My older sister was at the cusp of new wave, and I had older brothers from my father's first marriage who were rock 'n' roll guys, so I was exposed to a lot of popular culture.

Screenwriting is like ironing. You move forward a little bit and go back and smooth things out.

I'll rebel against powers and principalities, all the time. Always, I will.

Acting is the hardest job in the entire world. By far. Harder than ditch digging.

It's a gamble you take, the risk of alienating an audience. But there's a theory - sometimes it's better to confuse them for five minutes than let them get ahead of you for 10 seconds.

My dad was this sort of avant-garde guy who did all kinds of weird things. He was a true original and anybody who met him never forgot him.

I am always looking for that nuance, that moment of truth, and you can't really do that fast.

My writing has a lot to do with who I am, and what my life is like, and my relationships to people.

You write who you are. But you also cheat, and youwrite what you want to be. It's embarrasing to be the guy who madethe movie, knowing you're not exactly who you want to be.

Film school is a complete con, because the information is there if you want it.

Where large sums of money are concerned, it is advisable to trust nobody.

I am ready to reject all belief and reasoning and can look upon no opinion even as more probable or likely than another.

Life is a glorious opportunity.

When you are nice to people, they bring their A-game.

Remove failure as an option and your chances for success become infinitely better.

I see my job as an actor to be as good a channel as I can be. Acting is a gift, and I have respect for it.

Idealism has devolved into madness.

If you are going to live life on your own terms, there need to be terms, and somehow you need to live up to them.

People who believe they are acting with the mandate of God, who see others who don't share their beliefs as inferior in the eyes of God, make dangerous leaders. Just ask Osama Bin Laden.