I did think for many, many years that because of my ability I could beat the system. And I was wrong.

Being out of work for 13 to 15 years is no walk in the park.

When I was like 12 or 13,Muhammad Ali gave me a pair of his trunks that were white satin with gold stripes. They were full of blood, and my mother threw them away. I think it's the first time I ever cursed at my mother.

I have so many boxing gloves around my house that I would get them confused with other gloves.

By the end of the shoot [of Wrestler], my trainer was pushing me up three flights of stairs to my house and holding my arm like I was an old cripple. I had three MRIs in the first two months of working on the film. I felt like it really was over by the time we started shooting the movie.

Evan Rachel Wood is the best actress I've ever worked with, hands down.

Usually if you read a screenplay, no matter who's writing it, the bad guy is always written as a one-dimensional bad guy.