I grew up in Manhattan, and now I live in Brooklyn.

In life, you have to keep certain parts of yourself in check because you want to be a decent human being. But one of the guilty pleasures of acting is that sometimes you get to...

You look at the part in ’12 Years A Slave,’ you finish that script – I mean, it’s a powerful story. You go, ‘Man, I have to play a bad character in this.’ And then...

The hardest thing about working with your partner is that the work starts to become first.

I think it is important to make sure that I have my real life as well, because Hollywood can certainly seem like an alternate reality sometimes.

I’d always been fascinated by people who allow themselves to be so rude and irritated and foul-mouthed and hostile, but usually you can sense there’s something vulnerable beneath them – a shield they use to...

A lot of people think I must be weird because of the films I’ve done. I get that.

I always ask for more takes. I like doing takes, so I’ll do as many as I can.

Sometimes I think your intellect can get in your way as an actor or an artist. When you come from a world of improv and comedy, you’re able to let it flicker and fall out.

I love cereal. I eat several bowls a day, mostly a few late at night.

I’m very low-maintenance.

I guess sometimes fear is a good thing. It’s a really good motivator.

It’s hard to talk about acting because I don’t think it’s quite as explicit as a lot of people might think. And that’s probably the best thing about it.

I’ve definitely been in ruts, and I think having some kind of perseverance is important.

The idea of writer’s block or not having inspiration is totally terrifying to me.

I think that the Western went away for a while because part of its function was that it used to be America’s action film.

It’s a funny thing. You sort of never figure it out with acting. You’re always learning.

As an actor, I always feel you basically have to be able to delude yourself.

I can obviously relate to a character who is an artist, because the creative process is a big part of my life.

Films can be entertaining without shying away from exploring something. They can be magical and have fantasy, but also can have enough reality that you can be really emotionally invested.

I think control is a two-way street; sometimes people want to control things to keep them safe if they are afraid of life.

I’ve been fortunate to work with several actors and directors who I look up to, and learned from each of them.

I know I am always pumped, as an audience member, to go and see a Western.

Listening to hard rock on the subway doesn’t work for me, especially modern hard rock. Driving in L.A. helped me to understand the appeal of that music.

I think you sometimes have to go hit rock bottom before you can grow and rebuild as a person.

The way Hollywood works, you’re never sure if their first thought is to make a great film and honor the material or just another business property.

I think was overly empathetic for a while in my life.

I think that one of the strangest things about being an actor is, it’s almost freelance work.

As people, no matter what we are doing, your whole body is living and breathing.

I don’t have any tattoos.

I do like the idea of consequence and how our actions play themselves out, but I am completely scared of knowing what the future would be like. I would never go near a fortune teller,...

One of my favorite things I read was John Steinbeck’s journals while he was writing ‘East of Eden,’ which was so cool.

I’ve definitely had mentors, whether parents or friends or actors who I like.

I know I’d like to direct a film at some point, and maybe I’ll write it.

On ‘There Will Be Blood,’ I was cast at the last minute. I had 3 and a half to 4 days to get ready for the first day. I just went for it, threw myself...

There are maybe 100 actors I look up to, but my first two favourite actors were Dustin Hoffman and Jack Nicholson.

Theater is hard.

I tore my ACL playing basketball.

I would not take a girl to a club on a Thursday. I would not take her to a really noisy, swanky restaurant.

Being actors is a strange job.

I don’t know that praise is always a good thing.

I know an actor who would play one type of part but could never get cast as tough. Once he got cast as tough, as a cop, he only got offered cop roles. It’s a...

Sometimes we fall in love with the idea of a person and have trouble seeing the real thing.

It’s a lot of fun to be a part of films that you don’t exactly know how they’re going to turn out.

I like characters that make me feel challenged and sort of inspired.

People think memorizing lines is hard, when that’s the last thing you worry about. You get that done, and then you’ve got to worry about the internal stuff, which is the challenging part.

As an actor, the toughest thing is being subject to circumstance. Meaning: What scripts are out there that are available?

To be called a genius at 17 or 18 years old can sometimes cause arrested development.

I want to do some bigger films, so long as there’s some sort of exciting creative element or a good filmmaker behind them.

I don’t like to spend a lot of money on haircuts: I’ll sometimes grow my hair and get an acting job and get them to cut it for free. I think for a lady, though,...