It took seven years from the time I wrote Mad Men until it finally got on the screen. I lived every day with that script as if it were going to happen tomorrow. That’s the faith you have to have.

All human stories are interesting. You don't put a kid in a show because you need a device. They have a story, too.

I was never really that worried about being a member of the Sopranos crew. I think it looks kind of fun to not have to work, to not have to take crap from anybody. And then there's the reality check in there, which is that you do have to work, you do have to take crap from people, and you can fail, and all these other things.

The weirdest thing with friends, the way you measure it is if you go without communicating for months at a time, you can sit down and within five seconds be right where you were. I know it's a cliché, but quality not quantity, and that bond will not disintegrate. It does need to be tended to but it won't go away. It's amazing, though - I'm here in New York where my best friend from college lives, and we see each other twice a year and we're right where we were and a lot of it's unspoken.

If you've ever had somebody try to sell you something - people who can sell, they really are not manipulating you. They are selling themselves.

As far as casting, I'm there for every single person that's cast. Even if it's one word, I'm there for their auditions.

My major goal is to take my bathrobe off before the kids get home from school.