Helmut Newton shot the ad campaign [for Bad Influence]. It's [James] Spader at the top of his game, right after Sex, Lies And Videotape. It's sexy. It's weird. It's dark. The characters are great.

The universe works in mysterious ways and for me it worked out perfectly. With all respect to everybody else, Aaron Sorkin is and was The West Wing, full stop. There's no West Wing without him.

Ridley Scott's company makes great work in whatever arena, whether it's movies or commercials or television. They just do really quality stuff, so you know it's going to be quality.

I really make a point of never worrying, or trying not to worry, about the way I'm perceived. You'll go crazy otherwise.

I know, there are so many great lines [in Tommy Boy]. People say to me, "Did you eat paint chips for a living?" Or, "These shoes are worth more than your life." And the one I get all the time is, "Brothers don't shake hands, brothers gotta hug!"

Intelligence is that aspect of human cognition that we haven't managed to emulate yet.

[On "John F. Kennedy" set] everybody was very interested in the accent. Even my collaborators were very curious to know if I was even going to do it. And I was, like, "You just can't not do it." I think everybody was worried that it was going to sound like the guy from... is it The Simpsons?