I'll be a role model on my terms, but don't make a role model on your terms.

Of the many horrors of divorce, the most egregious is that it robs a kid of the best of both worlds. Dads can do many things that even the best moms can't, and vice versa.

Any time an opportunity scares you that much, you should seriously consider saying yes.

I was not familiar with the book [before filming in The Outsiders] , though. Interestingly, The Outsiders had not reached the point where it is now, where it's required reading in sixth and seventh grades. In my sixth and seventh grade, we did not, but today everyone does.

The really good thing about my career is that I never went through a phase where I played characters who had names like "Partygoer," "Waiter," or "Guy #1."

To go from "gnarly" to "literally," that shows I'm growing up, right?

I was... 15? And Garry Marshall, who had many, many seasons in the sun and a very long career, was in the middle of the brightest of all his seasons - I think he owned network television - and it was his next thing, and he was directing [Mean Jeans ]. And I thought, "If there's anyone who can bring comedy out of a designer jeans shop, it's gotta be Garry."