I have too much respect for the characters I play to make them anything but as real as they can possibly be. I have a great deal of respect for all of them otherwise I wouldn't do them. And I don't want to screw them by not portraying them honestly.
In '71 or '72 I returned to New Orleans and stayed there. I started cooking Louisiana food. Of all the things I had cooked it was the best-and it was my heritage.