I was in the army, and to me it was like a newsreel.

In every spoof I make real love to the things I am spoofing.

Be interested in everything. You don't have to adore it. I don't adore hip-hop, I don't think it's great music, but I'm interested, I listen. I watch a lot of new films, I see everything. I still read, I like books, whether they are old books, new books. I'm interested - you gotta stay interested!

Woody Allen is a genius. His films are wonderful. He's poetic, but he's also a critic. He artfully steps back from a social setting and criticizes it without - I suspect - without letting himself be vulnerable to it.

The only weapon I've got is comedy

There's an army story in me, and I think there's a WWII Brooks film somewhere.

I wanted to entertain so badly that I kept at it until I was good. I just browbeat my way into show business.