I have to say that, though it sounds so superficial, the accent really does help. I like having accents preparing for a part.

I wake up early. At 6:30 A.M., I'm at my most optimistic.

When I'm panicked about my love handles, I go to the YMCA and get obsessed with Kid Rock videos as I'm on the running machine.

Despite being extremely professional, Michael Caine has a giggle which was lethal for me because once you catch his eyes, once you realize the other person is a giggler too, it's curtains.

The ratings thing is the real issue. It really hurts movies. For example, in Redbelt, I smoked. The whole plot of my character was based on the fact that I was a smoker. And then they discovered that just by having someone smoking in the movie, it immediately makes the rating an R. So they had to cut out every shot where I had a cigarette in my hand and it totally affected the performance. That was very frustrating to David Mamet as well. I can remember him saying, "It's a nightmare."

The thing I miss about L.A. is time. I feel like I had much more time there, partly because no one is ever really doing anything.

I'm an optimist by nature, myself, I think.