"For funny movies, Scorsese — you know, I have an affection for The King of Comedy. It’s just fun to watch. I like Rupert Pupkin… it’s hilarious. I like that it’s dark, and how this guy gets to be famous. But I like De Niro’s performance; I like Jerry Lewis; I like Sandra Bernhard. I like the Ray Charles song that comes on at the beginning. It’s terrific."

"Early on, I was so impressed with Charles Dickens. I grew up in the South, in a little village in Arkansas, and the whites in my town were really mean, and rude. Dickens, I could tell, wouldn’t be a man who would curse me out and talk to me rudely."

"I guess Midnight Run was a big influence on this movie, and it’s a movie I’ve always loved. I just love the combination of Charles Grodin’s dry humour and De Niro in, you know, his funniest ever role. It’s a great combination of action and adventure."