'Miracle at St. Anna.' I was challenged by Spike Lee. When he offered me the film, he looked me square in the eye and said, 'You start this film off and you end this film. I don't want a dry eye in the theatre. Can you pull that off?' He was dead serious.
I never knew listening to a song could give you goose bumps and make you cry until I listened to Lauryn Hill.
Seeing people catch a feeling in their spirit and sprint the aisles of the church while my cousins played driving, uplifting gospel stuck with me. I let that same feeling wash over me when I experience and perform music.
I think I would say 'The King's Speech' is surprisingly funny, in fact the audiences in London, Toronto, LA, New York commented there's more laughter in this film than in most comedies, while it is also a moving tear-jerker with an uplifting ending.
At 10, I heard Neil Diamond's 'Solitary Man' and it moved me so deeply I stood, frozen in place during school recess, feeling such empathy for the narrator in Diamond's masterpiece that my heart was smashed.
If listeners aren't carried away to Heaven, I'm failing.
Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time' was a perfect song. It was so beautiful and so heartfelt. Her vocals were so amazing. And, for me, that was a song I went to when I was feeling sad and wanted to feel even sadder.
People don't remember me for how high my legs went, even though they went up very high, and how many pirouettes I did. They don't remember me for that. They remember me and any other dancer because something touched them inside. It's an indelible memory on the heart and in the mind.
Music that comes from the heart - that's the music that moves me.
I got teary-eyed watching Mary J. Blige sing O Holy Night' at the 'Christmas in Washington' concert.
'Neerja' is such a solid film. Everything about the film has substance, be it sound, writing, story, background scores, or direction.
My favorite song? 'Amazing Grace.' Anybody singing it. But the best it'll ever be done is by the Scottish National Pipe band and their National Orchestra. It'll bring tears to your eyes.
I believe in things that move people, if the audience isn't deeply caught up and moved to either laughter or tears then I don't think it is theater.
It literally brings me to tears when Sara Ramirez sings. She's unbelievable.
The humor and emotion of the 'Do You Want to Build a Snowman' theme makes me cry every time I watch it, and that deep emotion is something we'd love to do on the show. If we can make you cry, we always try to. And 'Once,' when it's at its best, is emotional and fun.
When I did 'Venice Dawn,' there were times where people would cry after listening to it.
Kelly, Kelly, Kelly. I love your voice man, you give me chills... Brilliant.
Usually, if someone wants an inspiring-type number - patriotic, gospel, big love song - then I think you do think of me.
I wanted to make people feel the same way I feel when I see a good movie.
'Manu' is one of the best albums. The climax song will be a trump card for all break-up songs. Everybody will talk about the language of the lyrics.
I think Stevie Wonder could sing the phone book and manage to make me cry.
The real actor has a direct line to the collective heart.
When something really hits me, it makes me want to either jump off something really high or lie down and be buried. I want people to get hit and caught by my music.
It doesn't matter how big the set is or how florid the music is: if it doesn't touch people's hearts, then I don't want to be in it.
I believe that theater has to be utterly life-changing for the people watching it.
