I never thought I'd be 52 years old. I don't think that anybody at 16 thinks like that.

I always want to see films that are startling and amazing. Not just shocking. Shocking is easy to do. But startling in the way that makes you change how you think about things. Those are the movies I like the best.

My favorite characters are people who think they're normal but they're not. I live in Baltimore, and it's full of people like that. I've also lived in New York, which is full of people who think they're crazy, but they're completely normal.

At the premiere of Hairspray on Broadway, Harvey Fierstein's mom said to my mom, "Didn't we raise great sons?" and my mother just started sobbing, because I'm sure they'd both been through other nights when people didn't say that.

I don't believe in depression. There's no such thing. It's an invention. It's bullshit, it's a cop out.

I never rewatch the great films of my favorite directors because I'm afraid they won't hold up.

I'd love to sell out completely. It's just that nobody has been willing to buy.