I come from a pretty working-class neighborhood in Chicago. Hard work was just expected of you. It wasn't some noble thing you did; it was a prerequisite. It's what a man did. You get up, you put on your boots, and you work hard. We've lost a lot of that, I'm afraid.

I was never a very dependable employee for anything. Perfect for the actor's life!

When they're good, I like working with new actors.

I like how pure the expression is in music. You can go straight to the heart of an audience rather than through their brain.

A lot of times, mainstream critics are much tougher on small, independent movies because they can be.

You know, the truth is that us actors would all like to believe we re-invent the wheel, every time we play a character. But, we're human beings and our instruments are not violins, they are our bodies and our consciousness and our collective life experience.

Whenever I work on something, I try and throw everything I have at it. Then if the director finds it useful they use it, and if not, they ignore it!