As an actor, I'm always playing solitary characters. But as a director, I'm always making ensemble movies, which focus on lots of people's lives and how they intertwine.

I'd prefer not to act in the film I'm directing. I think, though, as an actor, you do learn how to turn things on and off quickly and kind of compartmentalize. You learn to accommodate the camera and the other actors, to notice where the boom is and where you mark is, and be able to repeat something a few times.

I prefer to commit 100 per cent to a movie and make fewer films, because it takes over your life.

I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago, back in the stone age.

My definition of a friend is somebody who adores you even though they know the things you're most ashamed of.

With 'Taxi Driver,' I had this eureka moment. I realized that acting could be much more than what I had been doing. I had to build a character that wasn't me.

Casting is a long process for me. I take a lot of time.