Actresses can get outrageously precious about the way they look. That's not what life's about. If you starve yourself to the point where your brain cells shrivel you will never do good work. And if you're overly conscious of your arms flapping in the wind how can you look the other actor in the eye to respond to them?

I love films that make me react emotionally and physically when you walk out of the cinema. Two of my favorite films however have got to be 'The Tree Of Life' and 'The Piano Teacher ' which also stars one of my favourite actresses Isabelle Huppert.

When I got out of acting school I was lucky to have gotten any job at all. A lot of people hiring African American actresses - it was right after 'Roots ' and for society not me it was great. Nice richly dark-skinned people was the fashion and I was not.

Even actresses that you really admire like Reese Witherspoon you think 'Another romantic comedy?' You see her in something like 'Walk the Line' and think 'God you're so great!' And then you think 'Why is she doing these stupid romantic comedies?' But of course it's for money and status.

In England with all due respect we have some of the plainest actresses in the entire world as our greatest.

There's always an imbalance with actors and actresses in the industry. And I think because there are just fewer movies overall being made it's that trickle down effect.

Most of the top actors and actresses may be working in ten or twelve films at the same time so they will give one director two hours and maybe shoot in Bombay in the morning and Madras in the evening. It happens.

For as long as I've been acting I have been very lucky to be paired with really great actresses playing my mom.

I've had Susan Sarandon play my mom and now Lesley Ann Warren has played my mom so if I could have Debra Winger play my mom then I would have the trifecta of my favorite actresses playing my mother.

And they didn't have to get into a lot of legal speak or talk ER terms they were real people. I think that's why so many actresses were attracted to it. And it was just about problems that you could identify with so much right off the bat.