I did not want to be coming off the stage at the mercy of what somebody else told me I did.

I think that's what distinguishes Schmidt, really. In the movies now, so much of what is appealing to an audience is the dramatic or has to do with science fiction, and Schmidt is simply human. There's no melodrama; there's no device, It's just about a human being.

Liberalism is the right to question without being called a heretic. That's what America did for the world.

You can't handle the truth!

When they say I'm a great actor, I close my ears because it's not good for you to think that way.

That's what I like about the movie business: you're always in contact with wonderful and interesting people.

I suppose I can do more for a script as an actor than as a writer - in the film sense.