I was born in 1954. My parents were brought up in the war years, and life was hard.

I'm not a saint. I'm not an angel. I'm a human being.

You just decide what your values are in life and what you are going to do, and then you feel like you count, and that makes life worth living. It makes my life meaningful.

Our ancestors are totally essential to our every waking moment, although most of us don't even have the faintest idea about their lives, their trials, their hardships or challenges.

I'm from a working-class background, and I've experienced that worry of not having a job next week because the unions are going on strike. I know that because I don't come from a wealthy background.

The dynamic between two individuals starts off with everything warm and nice and fabulous and good. Working and living together can serve you quite well, but when it starts to go wrong - oh, boy!

I've never been a social person. When I grew up, the other girls would all be combing their hair and exchanging lipstick, and I just couldn't do that group thing.

Women's issues have always been a part of my life. My goal is to bring the word 'feminism' back into the zeitgeist and reframe it.

My issue with the state of women became incredibly stimulated when I was visiting developing countries and it became obvious that women bore the brunt of so many things in society.

The person who inspired me the most was a friend of mine, Anita Roddick. I know that Anita wasn't known to be an ardent feminist, but she truly was.

Having children, they're not your property. They need to figure out their own views. I think my daughters have a pretty healthy self-awareness, but I can't speak on their behalf.

You know, I would say that songwriting is something about the expression of the heart, the intellect and the soul.

Nelson Mandela is awe inspiring - a person who really sacrificed for what he believed in. I feel truly humbled by him.

As an actor, you want a director who makes you feel comfortable in a place that you can really create and try a lot of different things.

A lot of high school students on TV and in Broadway are played by people in their late 20s and even early 30s. That seems weird to me.

From an early age, I understood the concept that, if you're not the star, then your job is to not pull attention away from the star.

Picture-taking is an ensemble art - like theater.

I don't believe in spending money lavishly, now that I'm making money.

My dad was always taking photos of us at home, and even on set - he'd bring us along and stick us in the photos in the background. It was almost the beginning of acting for me, like, 'Hey, you go over there and play basketball in the background, and don't even think about the camera.'

I write music because I love it. Sometimes more than anything in the world.

I have a lot of weird interests, but everything I do is artistic.

Most actors nowadays are models turned actors. That's why a lot of young actors are terrible. You have to learn how to act. It is not something that you can just do.

I think it's important I stay connected to every part of my personality. I play basketball. I rock climb. I paint. I'm a little bit scattered, but it's so I can convincingly play all these characters.

I'm starting to get a following on Twitter. That's a really awesome power to have. It gives me the opportunity to make any kind of art I want.

I hated the ballet, but I liked performing. I did 20 shows, and I couldn't get the smile off my face.

All I want to do is work.

I love Marlon Brando and James Dean. That was when it was all about the star and the script. Nowadays, everything has to be action-packed.

I want to do movies, television and theater. Whatever comes along.

Just in terms of the opportunity I've gotten is amazing. I consider myself super, super, super lucky.

My dad's a photographer. So I suppose he named me Ansel just in case I would take over the family business. I guess I failed him.

My dad grew up in Washington Heights. I grew up in New York in Manhattan. So we're purebred New Yorkers.

I think that most people who are just artists, who are getting famous, would trade a lot of their fame back for some normalcy, pretty much immediately.

I want to encourage people. One of the things I do encourage people is that - that Internet is a place where we should share our ideas and be positive, not negative.

I'm looking forward to, as an actor, having to do some stuff that's out of my comfort zone. It makes for interesting work and when you're uncomfortable doing something; then it's going to be interesting when they film it.

I think everyone should have social media - all young people, at least.

I absolutely should be on social media, and I think every person who's an influencer should be, and should be doing good things.

Even on Facebook, like, I wouldn't share everything with my friends, because that's obnoxious.

Human beings are a wonderful virus in some ways.

I always wanted to be part of a movie that creates a different world.

If I messed up at the Oscars, I wouldn't be invited back.

I like romantic dates - going on a long walk in Central Park and then taking the subway downtown and going out to eat and ordering oysters. After that, you walk around again and talk.

Parents can't monitor what you are doing on Snapchat.

Technology moves so fast and social media moves so fast because everyone wants the new thing, but also, everyone wants to be where their parents are not. Once the mom got a Facebook and a Twitter and an Instagram, I don't want to be there anymore.

You are your main news platform, so no publication has as much power as you do about posting about yourself.

I like strong women. Physical women.

I love when a girl is like, 'I can't hang out. I have to go to class.' And I go pick her up, and she's all sweaty in a leotard with her hair in a bun. That's the hottest thing ever.

I love to cry. It's great.

The first movie I ever cried at was when I was 10 years old and saw 'The Notebook' in theaters. I was like, 'Whoa, so weird. Crying at a movie? I'm not supposed to do that. So weird.' I didn't know that art could make you do that.

Just because you live 20 years or 100 years doesn't make it less meaningful. They're both short amount of times. So all we can do is just live in that time, whatever time we're given.

You know what I'm realizing? I always love a place if I like the movie I'm doing there. I've heard people say, 'I hate Pittsburgh,' and I'm like, 'I love Pittsburgh so much!' I loved what I was doing there, and I loved Austin for the same reason.