Viola [Davis] is one of the great actors of her generation. She has one of these moments in the theater that I don't even know how to describe.

I've just directed a film called The Great Debaters, which is inspired by a true story about a young college debating team in the thirties and two of those people are still alive and we put them on tape on the film and I'm sure that will be added to the DVD, and to get the opportunity to do that is very cool.

I played Othello, but I didn't sit around thinking how Laurence Olivier did it when he played it. That wouldn't do me any good.

[My father] could see as far as he could see and my mother wanted us to go to college so it was a very real part of my life.

Denzel Washington: I like the collaboration, I like seeing people do well, so I really plan to direct the rest of my days.

[Having monologue] are talking to somebody even if it's just to yourself, convince yourself if that's what you're trying to do.

Say what you really want to say.