My father was adopted. He grew up in the Italian household.
'Avatar' was gorgeous. There are good stories in there, but when used in other movies they're similar to those violent video games. Characters using deadly weapons. The children follow these movies.
I was invited to play with the New York Knicks. I was never drafted, but I was invited to the rookie camp.
I think more important than law is the hearts of people.
One of the most fascinating projects I worked on right after 'Officer' was 'Sadat,' a role for which Anwar Sadat's widow, Jehan, personally chose me. Although this TV miniseries won me nominations for the Golden Globe and an Emmy, strangely, it was boycotted in the Middle East.
Sometimes I believe that the reason I have been able to do such exemplary work on the screen is because this is the only place I can be free, neither censured nor judged.
Some Marine units actually use 'An Officer and a Gentleman' in their training programs.
When we look at each other, we're the same family. You don't have to see black or Latino - we're one family. That's America.
One family, one nation, indivisible. That mentality is essential for our salvation.
The only time I was really free was when the director said 'Action' in front of a camera or on the stage, and that's when I flew.
George Clooney and Brad Pitt, with those 'Oceans' films they do, they get to work together, make a whole lot of money, and make a major film statement. Imagine if once a year, myself, Denzel Washington, Laurence Fishburne, James Earl Jones, we did some relevant film together to make a statement.
One of my best friends while shooting 'Roots' was Vic Morrow, the guy that whips Kunta.
There's really nothing like a live audience right there. When you're in a bad show, you can hear the creaks in the chairs.
You never know when what you do in the arts means something to people, and you never really know if you've been received well.
There are beautiful words in the Bible and in our pledges and the Declaration of Independence.
I believe the gift of acting is a gift from God, my oath to God, and I want to make sure on a daily basis that it is honed and deeply spiritual... I want to believe that the audience believes that my acting comes from this special place.
I think God asks us to promise to replenish the planet and to pay 100% attention to our young so that they will develop character and a good conscience.
I am so grateful that the public has given me this gift. They look at me as a person - not as a race or a color. The word for it is freedom - to be accepted as me.
After the Academy Award, well, I was left with a lot of time on my hands. I thought I'd get a lot of offers - and they didn't come.
I had an Oscar, an Emmy, and yet I had this big hole in my soul.
