Recognition

© Warner Bros

You won an award at the Venice Film Festival. How much do awards mean to you?
I don't know how to rate the importance of awards. I was surprised. I didn't expect it. This has been a long road, this film. It was an honour for us to unleash it in a great city. I have friends releasing films in the city so it's a really nice time for us. It's great fun.

And how about your other acting awards?
I got a Golden Globe a decade ago, but that's never been my focus. At the end of the day, what's important is giving my best. We all do our jobs and want to be really good at it. To have that acknowledgement is a real honour. The nice thing is how excited my friends are for me. And to be a part of the lineage of other people who have received this honour.

Does the march to the Oscars start here?
I don't even play that.

Tell us about your work as a producer. Did you feel you missed out on an Oscar for The Departed?
The Departed was something we developed for a couple of years. When Marty (Martin Scorsese) came on, he didn't need our help. We were happy to turn it over. We were happy just to be a part of it. The thing that got me into acting was my love for stories and a film's ability to educate and entertain. You get out of the way and let the producer go where he wants to go. Being a buffer on the financial side. It's about quality control from its inception.

What kind of film is more important to you?
I love this kind of film, the kind of film that breathes and has human moments, that's my favorite kind of storytelling. It led me to Andrew. I like all kinds of films and there's room for all kinds of films. I'd probably hit the wall if I just focused on one aspect of storytelling.