I don't think there is anything more bitter in American politics than a close election.

I don't use my writing career as a vehicle to get me acting work or to write roles for myself.

I think I've had my fill of electoral law.

Idealism loses to pragmatism when it comes to winning elections.

In the case of Game Change, the discussion in that film was how our politicians have become so much like celebrities - personality becomes more important than substance so that they can function in a 24-hour news cycle. So the question is, how do you feel about that? Is this what you want from a politician - somebody who's wildly charismatic, but has so little knowledge of substantive issues?

I think there's a lot of shame in American race relations. There's a lot of suppressed guilt that lashes itself out still. I see that all the time, and whereas opposed to sort of trying to address the issue in an up-front way, they're attacking and thus perpetuating the problem thinking that they're being sophisticated and post-racial, when, in fact, they're being completely regressive.

To have a show have lawyers fighting civil rights cases week in and week out, I think it's exactly what we need.