"Well, it was an actor playing Othello. It was written by Garson Kanin, who later married a teacher of mine, but he was married to Ruth Gordon, who was a favorite actress of mine. And it was a movie about the theater. I love those kinds of in-house things. I love political movies or plays, but especially plays about the inner workings of the business, or that give you insight into the process of what actors go through."

"Blanche Dubois says, “I don’t want realism, I want magic. Yes, Yes magic!” For me, that is the essence of Tennessee’s voice. We all long for magic, to leave our human shells for respite. That’s why I became an actor. But my favorite quote in all of literature is, “Sometimes—there’s God—so quickly.” To me that means a moment of grace comes when we least expect it, at the moment we need it the most."

"I love everything about this film—the script’s tone, the color palette, the production design, the costumes. It’s beautifully directed by Ang Lee, and it’s interesting to me that he so richly captured this specific time period in America without having grown up here. He is a master filmmaker. As a young actor, I wanted so badly to be Tobey Maguire in this film. He was so good! I’ve yet to be invited to a key party."

"I absolutely love this film. Robert Mitchum is incredible as a serial killer roving about in the guise of a preacher. It's the only film Charles Laughton directed, which, on the evidence of this film, is a real shame, as he seemed to have a real flair for it. There are a lot of great performances, and you can't help but wonder if Laughton’s vast experience as an actor helped him get the best out of his cast."