Hollywood still makes things. We still export a couple billion dollars' worth of product overseas. Original, new product. Some people might not agree that it's original or new, but basically it is.

I'm always sort of optimistic about how good we are, as a country, at fixing ourselves.

I've met my bride-to-be in Italy and I will be married in Italy soon, in a couple of weeks. In Venice of all places! In closing, I guess what I would like to say is to my bride-to-be, Amal, that I love you very much and I can't wait to be your husband.

The truth of the matter is the real story are the people who rise above all of this incredible cruelty. Otherwise that cruelty wins.

I don't believe in happy endings, but I do believe in happy travels, because ultimately, you die at a very young age, or you live long enough to watch your friends die. It's a mean thing, life.

'Ides of March' I did for scale - scale as a director, scale as an actor, scale as a writer.

I've had some success at writing and directing, and I like it. It's infinitely more creative than just acting, and I have things I want to say and do.