"Of Jane Eyre, I just want to say that if you think you know the book because you’ve seen a movie based on it, do think again."

"A brilliant Pulitzer Prize-winning book about how the modern world was formed, analyzing how societies developed differently on different continents. I like how this is written from a biologist’s point of view rather than purely based on history or anthropology."

"Maybe the greatest novel ever written, but I haven’t read them all! It’s all of humankind head-on by Dostoevsky. A mix of sadism and humor. In Poland I shot a movie by Andrzej Wajda based on this great book."

"My favorite film is a Fred Astaire film called A Damsel in Distress. It’s without Ginger Rogers, but it’s based on a P.G. Woodhouse book, who is my favorite author of all time, and he wrote the script. And it’s hilarious, and it’s wonderful. Astaire is amazing in it. Joan Fontaine is 22 years old. It’s beautiful, and it’s based on this wonderful Woodhouse book. I watch that at least once a year. And it’s got Burns and Allen, and they’re hilarious. It’s a great film."

"Based on interviews with Malcolm X between 1963 and his 1965 assassination. The book explores Malcolm X’s philosophies and his evolution. I’ve reread the book once a year since college and have found myself just as moved each time as the first reading."