I take away something from every role. I`m still learning and that`s what life is about. (People 2/6/95)

I like historical pieces. History was my favorite subject in school, it was the only subject I excelled in. I love the idea of history and the idea that we may have the opportunity to learn from our past mistakes.

On preparing his role as young Karol Wojtyla for Pope John Paul II (2005) (TV): "I was blessed enough to meet Pope John Paul when I was 22 years old in the Vatican; I had that privilege. My mother took me to visit him, and I remember distinctly his incredible charisma and personal charm and his warmth and compassion. You felt it immediately the minute you met him, and that spirit I came away with, having met the man, is something that I`ve been constantly working on to infuse the character with. My mother is a very devout Catholic. Her criticism will be the one I pay the most attention to."

On his villainous role in Leather Jackets (1992): "I`ll tell you something right now. There`s a myth about actors saying, `Oh no, that`s not me on screen at all. I`m just acting.` OK, if I were to say to you that`s not me, that`s fine. And I would tell you that I don`t behave like a villain everyday, and that`s true, I don`t. But to say there`s absolutely none of me in there is ridiculous, because it`s me playing the part, you know? I wanted to do it because I figured if I kept a part like that inside me too long, I might explode. Dobbs, the guy I play, is amoral and not the kind of man you want to know. But he seduces you into almost thinking he`s a good thing. You meet him and think, `Hey, he`s cool.` The scary thing is there are people out there like that in real life."

About his teenage co-star Alicia Silverstone of The Crush (1993): "She`s very headstrong. I think she can fight her image all she wants, but ultimately when she reaches full womanhood, I think she`ll be quite happy to be called a sex kitten".