In the end, the actor's main power is the power to say, 'No.'

If you're not optimistic on some level, then you've given up.

Be kind. It's worthwhile to make an effort to learn about other people and figure out what you might have in common with them.

I like a twisted sense of humour. On 'A History of Violence,' David Cronenberg and I would be doing the grimmest scenes and laugh a lot.

Bernie Sanders has inspired millions of people in this country.

As [John] Tolkien himself said, the story [Lord of the Ring ] is not allegorical. He said so when people tried to make analogies to World War II and the fight against Hitler and his fascist coalition.

If in my twenties I'd gotten one of the two-dozen roles that I did screen tests for and almost got, I think I would have become bored with the awards circuit, the whole hype machine.