(on acting) "If I weren't allowed this outlet, there wouldn't be a place for me in society." "I suppose I have a highly developed capacity for self-delusion, so it's no problem for me to believe I'm somebody else." On whether or not he will act in films more often in the future: "Nothing happened over the course of making Gangs of New York that made me think, 'Why don't I do this more often?'" "In every actor's life, there is a moment when they ask themselves, 'Is it really seemly for me to still be doing this?'"