I don't see myself directing things I don't write because, to me, directing was just an extension of the writing process.

I had written four scripts before I wrote Recount. Each one progressed my career a little bit, but I didn't make a dime off any of them. Recount was the first thing I sold, and I actually sold it as a pitch to HBO. They bought it as a pitch, which was a miracle. I thought, "Wow, this could be the last time I'll be paid to write a script again, which would be too bad because that was an amazing experience I just had."

I wouldn't say I'm a political junkie. I follow it. I read a few articles every day.

People that work at the White House, they stay forever and love the job. Someone asked me, "Was there really a butler that was there for 40 years?" I said, "No, they're all there for 40 years."

I don't even know if people are familiar with my name as an actor. It's not as if I ever was an über-famous actor.

In movies that tackle these political issues, there are far more interesting themes to be explored than partisan politics, which is what we get on cable news every second of every day.

I have absolutely no musical talent of my own!