When I was writing 'The Abstinence Teacher ' I really tried to immerse myself in contemporary American evangelical culture.

I first decided to become an actor at school. A teacher gave us a play to do and that had a major impact. At first I wanted to work in the theatre but there was something about the ambience of film especially American films that always attracted me.

IT is mere coincidence that Cooper was born in the year which produced The Power of Sympathy and that when he died Uncle Tom's Cabin was passing through its serial stage and yet the limits of his life mark almost exactly the first great period of American fiction.

California must be all American or all Chinese. We are resolved that it shall be American and are prepared to make it so. May we not rely upon your sympathy and assistance?

But Big Oil and Big Coal have always been as skilled at propaganda as they are at mining and drilling. Like the tobacco industry before them their success depends on keeping Americans stupid.

American inventiveness and the desire to build developed because we were guaranteed the right to own our success.

Democrats believe in reigniting the American dream by removing barriers to success and building ladders of opportunity for all so everyone can succeed.

Like so many American families our families weren't asking for much. They didn't begrudge anyone else's success or care that others had much more than they did... in fact they admired it.

The great and admirable strength of America consists in this that America is truly the American people.

I understand why creative people like dark but American audiences don't like dark. They like story. They do not respond to nervous breakdowns and unhappy episodes that lead nowhere. They like their characters to be a part of the action. They like strength not weakness a chance to work out any dilemma.