I don't tend to think of these characters as losers. I like the struggles that people have, people who are feeling like they don't fit into society, because I still sort of feel that way.

I talked with Quentin about where the character came from, and he told me Kansas City. I don't know how somebody talks from Kansas City, so I made him from New York.

I think all comics borrow from each other. Only a few have an original voice, and I wasn't one of them. In the end, I couldn't figure out who to steal from, so I stopped doing it.

In the beginning, it wasn't even a question of deciding I'm going to do independent film and not commercial films - I wasn't being offered any commercial films, and there wasn't an independent scene.

What was frustrating about Armageddon was the time I spent not doing anything. It was a big special effects film, and I wasn't crazy about pretending I was in outer space. It feels ridiculous.

When I was in pre-production for Trees Lounge, I was hearing the cinematographer talking with the production designer about colours and this and that, and feeling like I was losing control.

With Animal Factory you'd think that because it's mostly interiors, you could shoot it anywhere. So we shot this in Philadelphia, and we had the cooperation of the prison system.

My real training as an actor was when I started doing theatre.

I never made a daring rescue, which is the story people want to hear. I did go to my share of fires.

Anything you write, even if you have to start over, is valuable. I let the story write itself through the characters.

Bob Altman had this relaxed but serious attitude. Everybody loved him. I wanted him to adopt me.

Directing television is really hard - it's so fast. You shoot an hour show in seven days.

I did stand-up. I loved George Carlin and Steve Martin.

I didn't really like the aloneness of doing stand-up.

I didn't think I'd ever be able to do movies. That was for serious actors.

I usually get freaked out if I'm in a situation where a lot of people recognise me at once.

I was going to buy a van and move to LA so I could secretly pursue acting without any of my friends knowing.

I was very surprised that for a while I could only get cast as straight. It was that way for a few years.

I'm terrible at story and structure, but I'm not so bad at writing dialogue.

It doesn't matter so much where the material comes from, as long as it's good.