We may have forgotten how to feel. Nobody is teaching us how to live happily ever after, as we've heard in fairy tales.

My father described this tall lady who stands in the middle of the New York harbor, holding high a torch to welcome people seeking freedom in America. I instantly fell in love.

I was not only typecast as a Russian, but I was typecast as Yakov Smirnoff. This is understandable, and I was very happy to get the roles, but it would be nice to be in a movie where I could be someone else.

It's kind of bittersweet. The human spirit is not measured by the size of the act, but by the size of the heart.

I believe that laughter is a language of God and that we can all live happily ever laughter.

Americans think Soviets are so grim. I want them to see that they can smile.

I fed my ego, but not my soul.