When I go to the movies, I like romance, comedy, and thrillers. I hate gore.

It's not good to meet you heroes. The humanity in them or the a**hole in them will bring it down. And you don't want to do that.

I'm finishing my Ph.D. in Italian Renaissance history.

If you've got kids you know you've only got one prayer: "Let my kids outlive me." That's the bottom of everything.

Miles Davis, my one and only real hero of my life. I met him [because] every time I had a movie interview, I would shift the conversation to jazz. Miles, when I finally met him, he knew he had a sucker walking in the door. Because his people told him, “This guy plays the trumpet and every freakin’ interview he has ever given, he’s talked about you.”

There is a good news and bad news about a remake. When you remake something, if you futz with the theme, you are in danger. Because people get it - they get the theme. They know what is galvanizing, what is energizing.

I rarely do autograph shows. Maybe two or three a year. Just to keep my price up. Also I've got too much other stuff to do. I have to teach Renaissance art.