I'd been concerned all along that the character of the president in the West Wing pilot would throw the ensemble out of whack, that that character would simply take up all the oxygen in a room. I wanted to hold off bringing this character in until the last possible moment.

Film doesn't have to worry. Movies are awesome. There's no war going on, theaters aren't going to lose.

A hero would die for his country, but he'd much rather live for it.

A friend is somebody who says the same things to your face that they would say if you're not in the room.

The real problem with all drugs is that they work. Fantastically. They're great, right up until the moment they kill you.

I love writing. I'm not particularly comfortable in the actual world - I'm much more comfortable on the page. So if I could have a life where I could just slip the pages under the door and somebody would slip me a meal back, then that would be perfect for me.

The guy who wins the Oscar for Best Actor has a much higher bar to clear than the woman who wins best actress.