If you take my performance or my understanding of the role and my appreciation for story and then dress it in CGI, that I guess becomes an action film.

I do practice martial arts, more as a recreational thing, but a lot of my friends have been heavyweight champions the in mixed martial arts world.

I grew up the son of an acting teacher but I've never been really good at articulating what that process is. It was always a bit more internal.

Unfortunately, in Hollywood, there are those directors that have some contempt for actors. We've all experienced that, in one way or another.

The whole year I was in LA I got into telemarketing and learned how to make money. Five years later that skill helped me make my first film.

If you think about my filmography, I have never done a movie that a kid could go see, except for Iron Giant, and I'm not even on the screen.

Rated R movies are few and far between, nowadays. We're all seeing less and less rated R movies, and less and less of them are being made.

I shaved my head about 15 years ago and the first time I shaved it, I started running my hand through my hair and it was very therapeutic.

The idea of exploring character relations and their development over a decade has to be appealing for any actor who cherishes his craft.

A transvestite spends her entire life trying to look as feminine as possible and I have clearly spent mine celebrating my masculinity.

Film is my hobby, so I will work well through the night to develop films, whatever film I'm doing or dream projects I have.

It's really bizarre because no one knows this, but elephants have killed more animal trainers than any other animal.

When I got on the set of 'Saving Private Ryan,' I discovered, to my amazement, that Steven Spielberg is a gamer.

The films that I do are deep, introspective, brooding roles that you're in this heavy headspace all the time.

With age, you get to a place where you don't want to knock people out. You just want to give people a hug.

That's what I love. I love thinking about the film, the project and committing myself as much as possible.

My mom used to say that I became a fighter and a scrapper and a tough guy to protect who I am at my core.

Most of my confidence came from being with ladies, because I certainly wasn't getting any acting jobs.

It wasn't until I went to college and I got my first motorcycle that I understood the thrill of speed.

I believe in paying special attention to every project that you do and supporting the projects you do.

Nothing comes easy when I'm in character, because everything I do in character, I take seriously.

We've come a long way, from where we've been. I'll tell you all about it when I see you again.

I envision the future sunny and with love, harmony and oneness. I think Hollywood is changing.

The only way anyone knows which girl I'm with is if a one-night stand goes on 'Howard Stern.'

You make movies for the people. If critics happen to like them too, well, that's a home run.

I think there's something we all relate to about...wanting to get to our most primal self.

The most important thing in life will always be family. The people right here, right now.

I'm a New Yorker. I always have issues with trust - you adopt it from being a New Yorker.

Hollywood is more concerned about its male actors being in shape than its female actors.

They say the open road helps you think. About where you've been and where you're going.

I love thinking about the film, the project and committing myself as much as possible.

Choosing the car you drive is like choosing your wardrobe, maybe even more important.

It's insecurity that is always chasing you and standing in the way of your dreams.

When I was a child actor, I had the fear that I was going to be cast as the tree.

If Clark Gable had a Facebook page, there would have been a Gone with the Wind 2.

I'm not disciplined enough to be a writer consistently. I write when I have to.

I was the oldest of the children in my family. I had to do a lot of diaper-changing and lunch-making. I was taking my little sister to ballet, picking up my brother, sort of being a super-nanny.

If I'm on set and I'm in character, I'm not thinking like a producer. If I'm on set and I'm not in character, wardrobe and make-up, and I'm just coming on set for the moments that I'm not shooting, then I'm able to be the producer.

I always have issues. I'm a New Yorker. I always have issues with trust - you adopt it from being a New Yorker. I think trust is something that comes from the gut. I don't think it's anything specific. I don't think it's anything tangible.

You know when something feels so good but you're afraid to feel good about it? So you kinda hold back? Everyone says, Congratulations, you must be so happy. And you say something stupid like, I'm just doing what little I can with what little I have.

I am flattered that they think that many people would enjoy my work. I don't approach any genre a different way than I may approach another one. I treat every role I do like a role worthy of applying whatever kind of tactic, process and talent I have.

It was interesting to do a completely fictional piece. You know, Saving Private Ryan was not a fictional piece! So the challenge was: How do you incorporate real emotions? How do you incorporate aspects that people are going to be able to identify with?

Filmmaking is such a collaborative piece of art that you can't look to one person - you couldn't look to me, you couldn't say, 'Because Vin's in it, it's this or that...' It's really all of us coming together for that period of time to try and make magic.

The video game culture was an important thing to keep alive in the film because we're in a new era right now. The idea that kids can play video games like Grand Theft Auto or any video game is amazing. The video games are one step before a whole other virtual universe.

To have a director that loves his actors is something that you can see in the film and in the fruits of that labor. You can see that translated in the film. When you watch this movie, you can see a director who loves his actors, and it shines through the movie, in my eyes.

If you're the type of person who has to fulfill your dreams, you've gotta be resourceful to make sure you can do it. I came out to California when I was 21, thinking my New York credentials would take me all the way. I came back home a year later all dejected and a failure.

The majority of the filmmaking process is in pre-production. The more you've planned out the more freedom there is on set to find new stuff, to play around, find new jokes and let the actors kind of breathe - but it needs to come from a place where it's completely structured.

What was bizarre, when I was younger, I never watched TV. I would rather watch a movie 100 times than to watch a TV show, just to find another nuance. I can't tell you how many times I've watched 'On the Waterfront', just to find a flaw so that I can learn and try to improve my thing.

I approach every film I do in the same way, whether it's an action film or not an action film. I guess if a certain physicality lends itself to action, but I started acting before I reached puberty. I was 7 years old when I started acting. It wasn't until I became a bouncer in New York.

It's remarkable how a soundtrack can be so important to the storytelling and the experience. I think the music is going to make people see the movie a lot. The music is going to make you want to go see it again. You have so much fun in the movie, and it's music that you want to share with your kids, anyway.