The majority of directors I’ve worked with didn’t know how to talk to actors.

When people are away from home, they do things they might not normally do.

I really, really thought that it was a no-brainer in terms of being a hit. And so it does surprise that that hasn’t been the manifested reception of it so far.

In this business, you’re either Brad Pitt right away, or you’re already going down the ladder.

I respect a woman too much to marry her.

A film goes through so many hands, that by the time it’s done, it might not resemble what you thought you were making.

We have a great job where you get to put out something positive like this that might make people think, that might make people feel.

The decision as to why a show makes it has to do with politics and money.

Some of the best movies made about crime are those where the crime solver can get inside the head of the serial killer, and those are the techniques we use in C.S.I.

All I wanted with that film was to represent the possibility that there might be normal people who are Muslim or Arab with the same fears, responsibilities, hopes.

I never had an occasion to question color, therefore, I only saw myself as what I was… a human being.

So I’m OK with myself, with history, my work, who I am and who I was.

I heard we’ll get you a pass because we know you’re married to a black woman. You’re married to a sister so we’ll give you that pass but also, those who know me but also...

I enjoy looking at words on paper and visualizing how to make them come to life. As a director, the creative process is really amazing.

Whether you like another band’s music or not you never know who is going to take you out on tour or who you are going to be friends with and that is just something that...

My parents just neglected me, I wasn’t abused or anything.

The F.B.I. is about nuts and bolts. It’s all about witnesses and procedure and walking the streets.

I only go to mass when somebody asks me, but when I get in trouble I call for a priest.

Why not come see a project that I’m actually the lead in, as opposed to being the second and third lead? Imagine what I can do if it was my show.

One of the hardest aspects of this protracted public persona is not knowing others as well as they feel they know me. It’s a rather clumsy feeling actually; to not know someone who acts as...

I love dogs. They live in the moment and don’t care about anything except affection and food. They’re loyal and happy. Humans are just too damn complicated.

A saint is a person who gives of themself without asking for anything in return. That’s how simple it is to be a saint. Try it! Try being a saint.

I love the fact that it starts from there, and you don’t know where it’s gonna go. Wait long enough – love will find you. Everything’s a surprise. When you think you’ve got it all...

My dad had been an actor… not only had my dad been an actor, but his dad had been an actor, and my great-grandfather had been an actor. And who knows before then?

If we all knew we were going to live to be 150 years old, we’d all approach our lives very differently.

I love what I do and I love the fans.

It’s funny to me that people find other people getting coffee really interesting, or walking their dog in the dog park.

It’s so crazy in Hollywood.

As I’ve gotten older I look like a man, finally.

My wife and I have so much fun when we travel and find anything… like stray cats and squirrels.

My thinking was scrambled when Sullivan and I separated. Something happened to me that had never happend before. I couldn’t cope. It was heartbreak time. I thought it was the end of the world.

Studios have been trying to get rid of the actor for a long time and now they can do it. They got animation. NO more actor, although for now they still have to borrow a...

Eat some pizza, play some Xbox, watch some TV. Gross? Maybe. Me? Yes.

Studying cows, pigs and chickens can help an actor develop his character. There are a lot of things I learned from animals. One was that they couldn’t hiss or boo me.

I’ve calmed down, certainly, from the days of being 18, but I’m still having a good time.

So I’ve been a political activist all my life and I think in a large measure it’s because of the internment that we experienced 50 years ago.

It was a hard job, but it was a lot of fun and I’ll always be grateful to Ponch. He was a part of me.

Mix one part Denzel Washington and two parts Eva Mendes and you have a nice hot cocktail.

Normally, we see characters that have God complexes. How interesting, I thought, it would be to capitalize on that. And say, OK, well fine, you have a God complex, well this person has a Satan...

L.A. kind of scares me.

People give me things at shows-the Robot from Japan. What I would treasure the most is a little doll of the general from the movie-and if they don’t make it, I’ll make my own and...

And I had an old-fashioned idea that dividends were a good thing.

You can get digital technology that almost is film quality, and go make little films and do everything you can to find a little understanding of your own voice and it will grow – Don’t...

I’ve worked with some incredibly difficult directors but my understanding is that a lot of the best people are driven from a place of being extremely challenging and dark within their way.

Married relationships are not what we are pretending they are. It is not the ’40s or the 50s anymore – we cannot pretend, things are changing.

The burden which is well borne becomes light.

The vulgar crowd values friends according to their usefulness.

A horse never runs so fast as when he has other horses to catch up and outpace.

Blemishes are hid by night and every fault forgiven; darkness makes any woman fair.

I make a film like I cook for friends. I hope they like it, but if they don’t, I’m prepared to enjoy it all by myself.