Dick Van Dyke was my first idol. He’s an amazing physical comedian, like a classic clown, but also very smart and not afraid to show vulnerability.

Animation scripts tend to be much more descriptive and are lighter on dialogue.

I was only in one play at Steppenwolf, in the early days.

Unfortunately, all the cliches we see about Hollywood are true.

Dick Van Dyke was my first idol. He’s an amazing physical comedian, like a classic clown, but also very smart and not afraid to show vulnerability.

The best way for a beginner to write for animation is to closely watch animated films, then read the screenplays for them afterwards.

I love all of Albert Brooks’ work from Defending Your Life back to his first film, Real Life, but am sorry that he seems to have lost his edge in his more recent work.

When I saw The Player, I came out with knots in my stomach because it was so true to my experience.

All of the material for The Fine Line was created via improvisation with my partner, but not in front of an audience. We’d continue to refine it in front of an audience based on their responses until it was set and scripted.

I used to love Woody Allen but feel he’s become a hack as a director. Bullets Over Broadway is the only film of his I’ve enjoyed in the last 10 years.

Robert Altman’s Nashville is my all-time favorite film because it covers all the bases – it’s original, moving, and has something to say, but also funny and incredibly entertaining.

But so much of being an actor isn’t so great – the auditioning, the rejection, the financial insecurity.

That said, I should also add that I learned a great deal from being allowed in these privileged circles and am grateful for the opportunity to have worked closely with some of the most powerful and successful people in the business including Steven Spielberg and Ted Turner.

I know a lot of people in the business recommend the many Story Structure seminars being offered here, but I point to them as the single biggest contributor to lousy scripts.

There is nothing like the high of being on stage and reaping applause, especially for emotionally needy people like me!

Right now, writing for me is most rewarding because I’m old enough now to have something to say, which probably wasn’t always the case.

I became much happier when I realized I shouldn’t depend solely on my career for my sense of self. So I developed other interests and surrounded myself with a small group of friends I could trust.

Originality is, for me, the most important quality in a script.

The major studios don’t differ very much from one another as they all operate under essentially the same principles and pressure.

Fear of failure has always been my best motivator.

I was born in Chicago and grew up in the suburb of Evanston.

Working in Hollywood can be tumultuous, with incredible highs and lows and you need to be grounded.

I would rather read a poorly structured story that has fresh ideas than a tightly structured one with cliches.

I’m more concerned with getting them to find and strengthen their original voice as writers rather than imposing my own subjective tastes, judgements or sensibility on the project.

Write the kind of movie you would want to see, in a genre you love.

I am a big fan of the TV series Taxi which combined comedy and pathos better than any other show I’ve seen.

While I’ve lived in L.A. since 1985, I’ll always consider Chicago my home town and have much affection for it. My parents and sister still live there so I try to visit as often as I’m able.