If western culture is shown to be rich, it is because, even before the Enlightenment, it has tried to 'dissolve' harmful simplifications through inquiry and the critical mind.

As a scholar I am interested in the philosophy of language, semiotics, call it what you want, and one of the main features of the human language is the possibility of lying.

It is sometimes hard to grasp the difference between identifying with one's own roots, understanding people with other roots, and judging what is good or bad.

It is clear that when you write a story that takes place in the past, you try to show what really happened in those times. But you are always moved by the suspicion that you are also showing something about our contemporary world.

I don't associate success with happiness, and I don't take it to heart, like, 'Oh, I'm so special.'

The actor that taught me the most was Bernie Mac. I did my first big budget studio film with he and Angela Bassett, 'Mr. 3000' for Disney. Bernie taught me by example what creates success is humility and hard work.

I'm in the studio 24 hours a day. It's true that once you get a certain level of success, you become a target. Talk magazine should be ashamed of themselves.

The way you can be careful of the catastrophe that success can bring is by paying attention to something else that comes along with success - responsibility.