"A British director directed 'American Beauty,' an important film about American life, and it didn't matter. What only mattered was everyone's sensibility."
"You just play what a writer writes, in terms of what a character chooses to do and how a character chooses to deal with their various relationships."
"Whether it's 'Veep' or 'Homeland' or 'The West Wing' - which is a more idealised version of democracy - people are fascinated by politics."
"There's no doubt that some of the greatest films ever made have come from the theater. It's all a matter of finding a way to make the theater experience watchable on film."
"The process of doing a play is an organic one, and the process of doing a film is totally inorganic."
"Meeting the person you are going to be playing is very unique."
"As long as we, in the United States, continue to insist that our politicians have to spend all of their time raising millions of dollars for television ads, it will be corrupt. If we leave it up to the politicians to clean up lobbying and finance reform, nothing is going to change."
"Over the years, I've spent a lot of time in Washington. It's a great theater town."
"I have to remember if I'm at some charitable event where kids are... I try to remember don't swear in front of the kids!"
"Have we become so celebrity-obsessed that there is no longer a difference between a character and an actor? I hope not."
"People sometimes have to be reminded, I'm not Frank Underwood. I'm an actor named Kevin Spacey."
"I think that what is truly unfortunate is when an entire party makes a decision that they're going to block every single thing that a president wants to accomplish. It's very - it's very hard to get anything done in those circumstances."
"President Obama will go down as having passed some of the most historic bills in the history of this country."
"Some politicians that I've seen have been brilliant with the public. They almost speak with the skill of an actor."
"My mother was sarcastic and delightful and, trust me, quite remarkable."
"There are ways in which you can make sure that even if people come to the theatre because they know an actor or actress, by the end, they've forgotten that, and they leave going, 'Wow - what an amazing play.'"
"You learn every single day when you're running a company. You learn as you go."
"Edward Norton and I have known each other awhile. I just think he's the real deal, supremely talented and smart. He's got a great sense of humor."
"I cotton to the idea that people are much closer to being flawed; they have problems and don't always make the right choices."
"I write a lot about my experiences and the people I meet. I've got a lot of material. But a book about me? It seems sort of odd."
