I have, in some ways, saved characters that have been marginalized by society by playing them - and having them still have dignity and still survive, still get through it.

I think anybody over 30 plays parents because it happens in your thirties and so that's kind of a natural progression. But I'm definitely drawn to it. It's probably the most intense, passionate thing that happens to you as you get older.

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.

I think "destiny" is just a fancy word for a psychological pattern.

I think Anna and the King is a look at Asia from the Asian perspective, reflecting the Asian experience, which is very rare.

I've only been to Dublin once, and I had a great time. I got completely soaked because it was rainy.

I'm interested in directing movies about situations that I've lived, so they are almost a personal essay about what I've come to believe in.