I have a lot of optimism about new doctors because I think it's really clear that it's a lot of hard work and no guarantee of a lot of money.

A lot of acting techniques are very self-oriented.

I think we need leadership that helps us remember that part of what we are about is caring about more than the person right next to us, but the folks across the way.

The individuals inside are frequently fighting that their individual voices be heard, while the walls of the place, which are the mask, and the perception, are reluctant to give over to the voices of the individuals. Those in the margins are always trying to get to the center, and those at the center, frequently in the name of tradition, are trying to keep the margins at a distance. Part of the identity of a place is the tension between those in the margins, and those in the center, and they all live behind the walls which wear the tradition.

Suddenly in high school, I'm in a predominantly Jewish atmosphere. Jewish people were my gate to white America.

You've heard that old expression from Shakespeare, 'Just speak the speech'? The words themselves will take you to the reality of the character. And so this led me to interview people.

I would love to have been a documentary filmmaker; I just didn't have the resources to do that.