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I didn't know that '12 Years a Slave' was being filmed at the same time we were making 'The Retrieval.'

The set of '12 Years a Slave' was an extremely joyous one! We all recognized that we were making a powerful, necessary and beautiful film, and we weren't about doing it without that sense of responsibility, and we recognized that we needed each other to tell this story. We also knew we needed to hold each other up as we told the story.

'12 Years a Slave' was very powerful, very moving, and deserved all of the acclaim it did get.

Being a part of '12 Years a Slave' has been one of the most profound experiences of my life.

The beautifully composed imagery of '12 Years a Slave' underscores the savagery of its subject, which is an American South not of knights and ladies but obscene values and a grotesque pageantry, every gorgeous shot of the languid landscape radiating toxicity like a hyperlush blossom that's poison to the touch.

I WAS born a slave; but I never knew it till six years of happy childhood had passed away.

You look at the part in '12 Years A Slave,' you finish that script - I mean, it's a powerful story. You go, 'Man, I have to play a bad character in this.' And then you go, 'Well, do I want to play a bad character and contribute to a good story?'

I spent 12 years doing different things in film trying to figure out the story I wanted to tell.

The camera is the slave to the actor.