I remember when I saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, I wanted to go out and direct a movie right there on the streets of Manhattan.

That movie for me was my Marlon Brando experience before The Godfather, before Streetcar. It’s weird to be living in a modern world where acting has changed. Movies have changed so much, and yet you can still see what defined [Brando] and his performance.

I feel like that movie has stood up to time [and] criticism, and yet everybody can find the exact same reasons as to why it’s awesome.

There’s still nobody doing what he does in that movie. And so that really changed everything for me. Also, there was something really exciting and sad about the whole political aspect of that movie. The whole blacklisting thing.

I think it’s probably one of the most inspirational movies for me because of Paul Newman‘s performance. I think that is, to me, some of the best, [most] controlled acting in a movie. I think that he has this incredible likability. Even though he’s a drunk, washed-up lawyer, you’re still rooting for him from the very beginning.

Timothy Hutton turns in one of the best male performances I’ve ever seen. And thatfamily dynamic was so subtle in what could have been a really angsty movie.

So Kramer vs. Kramer. Some of the greatest writing I’ve ever seen, someof the gutsiest performances.