I noticed while working on Green Lantern that the actor - albeit forefront in the film, obviously, and the key focus for the audience - is kind of the smallest cog in the machine when you're shooting.

I did as much as I could in Vancouver. You can only play so many ex-'Falcon Crest' sons in so many movies of the week before you burn out.

He has such a clear vision of exactly what he wanted out of each character, out of each set, out of each wardrobe change, out of each emotional beat, and action.

I think we know too much about actors as it is and their personal lives and it's this information age where we're stimulated constantly by the celebrity buzz effect or whatever it is, these web sites and blogs and different things.

There's a very real possibility in this industry of going out and leading your life and then going home and being a voyeur of your own life. You can literally go watch yourself - where you went last night, what you did, what the things that people presuppose about you. It's kind of crazy.

There are guys I admire. Like Jimmy Stewart and - a more modern example - Tom Hanks. They managed to do it and have a really high standard for their work, but at the same time they remained incredibly classy and well-regarded personally throughout the process, which I thought was rare and kind of cool. And I'm trying. I try. I haven't thrown any TVs out the hotel window yet.

I'm pretty good at surprising friends and family with gifts. I tend to go towards the more sentimental side of giving.