People instantly assume you can't have a platonic friendship with someone of the opposite sex. I think this may be specific to L.A. - or America.

My father described this tall lady who stands in the middle of the New York harbor holding high a torch to welcome people seeking freedom in America. I instantly fell in love.

I believe there is a moral sense and a global ethic that commands attention from people of every religion and every faith and people of no faith. But I think what's new is that we now have the capacity to communicate instantaneously across frontiers right across the world.

It became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality.

The people in Iraq lived essentially good lives. They had brilliant health and education systems. Saddam actually created an incredible infrastructure in a very difficult country but they were a Mafia family. If you said anything against that regime or that family you would be killed instantly.

Humanity needs dreams to be able to survive the miseries of daily existence even if only for an instant.

When I was a kid I wanted to be serious like Daniel Day-Lewis. No one really dreams of being a comic actor do they? Now I realise how stupid that is - and it's because comic acting isn't taken seriously enough. It's a discipline. You know instantly - either you're funny and getting the laughs or you're not.

It's funny now how much we look at - whatever you want to call it: art design culture stuff film - online and how in the online world you're instantly global.

Each instant of life is a step toward death.

In the past missionaries have traveled to far countries with the message of the gospel - with great hardship and often with the loss of life. In contrast we can reach millions instantly from the comfort of our homes by merely hitting the 'send' button on our computers or with iPads or phones.