I was lucky enough to grow up in a house where we listened to all kinds of music. We listened to Haitian, hip hop, soul, classical jazz, gospel and Cuban music, to name a few. When you have access to that as a child, it just opens up your world.
How does one kill fear, I wonder? How do you shoot a specter through the heart, slash off its spectral head, take it by its spectral throat?
Persist and persevere, and you will find most things that are attainable, possible.
Have you driven a Rolls-Royce? There is a difference between a Rolls-Royce and a Nano.
At 19, you're not really thinking about the habits you have. I wasn't. Maybe your study habits? But not your life habits.
I'm able to move like no one else you've ever seen in front of a camera.
Try to open up your mind a little, and move away from rigid opinions of what people should do and be - unless you have been there.
Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?
God, why do I give interviews to 'the Guardian'? They always try to dissect you, and I don't really think about stuff in the way that you're asking me these questions.
You know you are in a good film when it affects the audience.
Some people aren't touchy-feely, but I grew up in a family where you'd walk into the family room and there'd be five people on the couch with an arm here, an arm there, everyone scratching and taking turns.
Eviction comes with a record, too, and just as a criminal record can bar you from receiving certain benefits or getting a foothold in the labor market, the record of eviction comes with consequences as well. It can bar you from getting good housing in a good neighborhood.
Some things is made by destiny, yes, other things by hard work, but quality you don't learn. Quality you are born with.
Domesticity has to mean nesting. Otherwise, six months go by, and you don't know where your underwear is.
Let me tell you, 'The Reader' was not glamorous for me in terms of the body-hair maintenance.
I think when you're 10 years old, it's too much to see something with the threat of death in every episode. Kids are better left naive about certain things.
You know what the fastest growing religion in America is? Statism. The growing reliance on government.
When you're going bad, sometimes you need to relax more. I've always been intense. I didn't need to be more intense.
I don't mean that if you're a Christian, walking close to God, you will immediately gain celebrity. you may fail as an artist, because you may not have what the public want at that time, and you have to be prepared for that.
You can't talk about what you haven't felt.
At one point, in one of the kitchens where I worked, I was the only American pastry cook. They treated me poorly. 'You're stupid. You're American. You don't get it.' They'd speak French all day. At one point, my boss said to me, 'You learn French or get out right away.'
Well, I look at it like this: When you go to a restaurant, the less you know about what happens in the kitchen, the more you enjoy your meal. If the soup tastes good, everything's cool, and you don't necessarily want to know what's in it. The same thing holds true with movies.
Oh gosh, I noticed dramatic changes in my body after I started doing yoga, but I also think you have to shake things up.
I had to find my way of translating the excitement you get when you're reading comic books to the big screen.
They don't pay you a million dollars for two-hand chest passes.
If you'd asked me after 'Band of Brothers' what thing I wanted to do next, I certainly never would have imagined 'Southland.'
You don't have to be singing about love all the time in order to give love to the people. You don't have to keep flashing those words all the time.
You have to put yourself in a position to be lucky.
Actually, I had no idea what shooting hoops was or were. I thought dunking was something you did with a beignet and a cup of steaming coffee. I wasn't exactly sure what a Knick was.
A reflection of an exact image is the closest thing to you-so that you can see it-but it's far enough away so that you really understand it. There is real life in this movie, but it hovers just an inch above reality.
Proactive giving is what you do when you've found your passion. It expresses your values, interests and concerns. It engages not just your dollars, but also your mind, time, skills and networks - the philanthropic equivalent of leaning in, rather than leaning back. Most importantly, proactive giving is something you want to do.
Some people write a thank you note for a gift, and it's three pages long, and some people write a thank you note, and it's five sentences - that's me. I like to pare away words because I don't want to waste anyone's time.
I do believe that when you know better, you do better. You know what was wrong about the last relationship, and hopefully you will do better the next time.
When you get to that level, it's not a matter of talent anymore - because all the players are so talented - it's about preparation, about playing smart and making good decisions.
When you lose a loved one, you come to these crossroads. You can take the path that leads you down the aisle of sadness, or you can say, 'I'm never going to let this person's memory die. I'm going to make sure everything they worked for continues.'
You never can stop learning.
