I was a writer. I just wasn't a very good one. I was lucky enough to have a playwriting teacher who told me that I'd be a better actor than I would a playwright.

Stories in which the destruction of society occurs are explorations of social fears and issues that filmmakers novelists playwrights painters have been examining for a long time.

Almost every college playwright or sketch or improv comedian was sort of aware of Christopher Durang - even kids in high school. His short plays were so accessible to younger people and I think that was inspirational to me.

You have to have hope. It's irresponsible to give false hope which I think a lot of playwrights are guilty of. But I also think it's irresponsible to simply be a nihilist which quite a lot of playwrights especially playwrights younger than me have become guilty of.

I'm happy that I feel a little less out of place in filmmaking than I once was - but it's almost impossible for a playwright in the U.S. to make a living. You can have a play like I did with 'Angels ' and it still generates income for me but it's not enough for me to live on and have health insurance.