I've Been Doing A Pale Imitation Of

My Tv Show Had Been Cancelled; Nothing Else Had Gone Anywhere; Some Alliances I Had Made Petered Out And Nothing Came Of Them And I Was Looking At A Long, Long Year Ahead Of Me In Which There Was No Work On The Horizon, The Phone Wasn't Ringing. I Had Two Kids, One Of Them A Brand-new Baby, And I Didn't Know If I Would Be Able To Keep My House.

A Lot Of People Would Flee From What They Think Is Award-show Cheesiness, And I Don't. I Often Joke That My Speeches Are Very Personal Moments That Play Themselves Out In Front Of Billions Of People.

Now, Learning How To Make A Movie Is Something You Can Figure Out In About An Afternoon. The Physics Of It, The Marks, The Lights, Etc. What's Hard To Do Is To Suspend Your Own Feelings Of Self Consciousness. The Natural Actors Can Do That; They Can Become Part Of A Characterization And Learn How To Maintain It.

In The Early Days You Have A Tendency To Intellectualize, But You're Really Just Trying To Sound Smart And Score With The Chicks.

My Son Is A Gentleman And A Professional Who Is Pursuing Something Difficult. Yet The Only Thing He Has Ever Asked Me For Is Advice - Never Favors. He Has Just Said, "what Do You Think I Should Do, Dad?" It's Extraordinary To Me That My Son Would Listen To And Have Faith In Whatever Wisdom I Can Offer.