Its interesting to play a politician who gets stuff done.

I'm aware that, from the outside, this looks like I've got quite an ego.

Over a spell of about three years, I played a series of roles that were, for me, all very different, but most of them came out within a six-month period. They all dealt with a kind of dark territory that in some cases had been mined before in movies.

I was not a studious kid, and I struggled to find things that would command my attention and engage my ideas and energies.

For me, coming to work every day has turned out to be exactly what I hoped it would be.

I terribly miss - we all miss, I think - somebody like the great producer Irving Thalberg. He had a foot in both camps: He understood us creative people. And he understood the money people.

Audiences grew to like this duality of feeling, where youre both championing a character and youre revolted by them.