"Legends of the Fall I’ve watched a million times. That’s such a beautiful story, and such a real one and a sad one, about the unexpected things life brings, like certain relationships. And sometimes, a lot of the time, life doesn’t end in happy endings. The first time I saw it, I was so young that it was just a beautiful film to me. Obviously, the role of Tristan, the role he plays, is so appealing, and that want and need to tame the wild beast, if you will."

"I saw this movie in our local Michigan theater when it first came out. I was a teenager, and the only other people in there were a pair of teenage girls who were completely grossed out by the film and vocally disapproved of every scene. But for me, the movie was a revelation. The dark comedy, the amazing performances, and the soundtrack of Cat Stevens songs culminate in one of the most beautiful, emotional film endings ever, making this one of those movies I can and have watched more times than I can count."

"Gena Rowlands is a force of nature and John Cassavetes’s greatest muse. I saw this movie straight out of theater school and it shook me to the core. Her performance is electric. It was everything I love about acting: raw, dangerous, unpredictable, shocking, alive. You can’t keep your eyes off of her. It’s difficult to explain, but I didn’t know that films could do what Cassavetes does with this film. It was the film that made me see the potential that the medium could have. And it seriously made me want to be in one."

"The last one, for me, just in terms of comedy, is This is Spinal Tap. [Laughs] I mean, I love Spinal Tap. When I first saw it in 1984 I was the only person in the cinema at Swiss Cottage in London, and I didn’t know whether it was real or if it wasn’t. [Laughs] It was just so profoundly funny. I think it obviously inspired me personally, in a huge way. I would say that the movies that inspired Anvil! were a combination of Withnail and I and This is Spinal Tap. [Laughs]"

"The first novel that messed me up. I’ve read it so many times—first in my late teens, when I was in my full horror fan mode. In Ireland, where I lived, there was no such thing as a streetlight, so you looked outside and your own imagination would decide what was there. But there was something about the descriptions of the Bramford, the apartment that Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse move into, that was my first descriptive explanation of New York living. Way before I saw the movie, the story leapt off the page."

"The first one would be A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. I saw that years ago when it first came out, and I just thought it was really interesting. I loved the way it was shot. All the actors in it were just awesome. I was a really big fan of Dito [Montiel], the director, and I actually get to do a film with him this year called Empire State, so I’m really excited. I think I’m going to shoot mid-this year, so I’m very excited about that."

"And then, another film that’s kind of out of this realm again: I really love Coppola’s Dracula. I just love it. I love the way it was made, how operatic it is. The production design — the production value — on that movie is so amazing. It’s just such a gorgeous, sumptuous movie to watch. And I think at the time that I saw it, I totally fell in love with Gary Oldman. I think I was 13 or 14, and it made me an Oldman fan for life. He’s incredible."

"I actually just talked to Joseph about this last night, one of my all-time favorites is Babette’s Feast. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why. It’s very pure. It’s not tricky at all; the filmmaking is almost invisible. I think for the most part, it feels like there are non-actors in the piece — although I’m sure they’re actors — but it’s not an actor-y piece at all. It’s just beautifully conceived with a really generous heart at its center. It just really moves me, I saw it again last week."

"I don’t know which John Waters to pick. The go-to would be Pink Flamingos — that was another movie that was pivotal, when I discovered that — but I would pick Polyester out of his movies. I’ve got a big soft spot for John Waters, ’cause again, there’s a guy who’s doing things on his own terms, and I think people would find his topics shocking but he has a lot of kindness towards these people, these characters. I love him. I just saw him this weekend when I was in Maryland."