Abraham Lincoln is the guy who could never be elected today, but whom we desperately wish we could elect.

Take every job. Learn everybody's name. Show up early. Know who you are and know who you're not. Stop dreaming and start trying.

If someone asked for advice on being an actor I'd say "Don't. It's a hard life." And if they walked away I'd be happy to have spared them years of misery.

I love swimming in the darker seas, so even if I play a noble guy (well, like Lincoln for instance) I am pre-disposed to try and show the conflict; the regret; the less-than-perfect choices that any human faces. That's what I like and it seems to be what the camera likes to see me do.

Ask questions. Listen. Be quiet. Be willing to make a fool of yourself. Be willing to be completely exposed and to give all you've got and to be rejected for your troubles. But expect magic to happen. It just might. And don't worry about winning the audition, just win the room.

Abraham Lincoln is the guy who could never be elected today, but whom we desperately wish we could elect.

Lincoln could be on the moon. He's still Lincoln.