Confidence is the mark of a hopeful disposition.

Movies, as evidenced by a chorus of protesting and celebrating Americans, influence broader trends.

I love studying how people are. Not just what they're saying, but how they are, what they're doing.

My main concern is theater, and theater does not reflect or mirror society. It has been stingy and selfish, and it has to do better.

Some people study a text very deeply. The people are my text. I study their words and what their words sound like, over and over again. When I was a kid, my grandfather said that "if you say a word often enough, it becomes you." Thinking of that later in life gave me this idea that I could try to become America by learning the words of people from many aspects of the country. It doesn't matter how educated they are. By living in the world and living their experiences, they bring extraordinary truths. I try to do those truths justice.

Discipline — both mental and physical — is crucial.

People realize that we're very good at sending people to war, but we're not good at taking care of them. And people are coming back from war now; years ago, they would have been killed, now they're wounded; and they're coming back alive and with post-traumatic stress. So, I think Americans are sensible enough to know we've got to figure out a way to take care of them.