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Costumes are the first impression that you have of the character before they open their mouth-it really does establish who they are.

And costume is so important for an actor. It absolutely helps to get into character; it's the closest thing to you, it touches you. Some actors like to go into make-up and then put their clothes on, but I like to dress first; that's my routine.

Costume design is so important and really helpful, and I really love that aspect of character development, just figuring it out.

Suffice it to say, every actor works differently. Laurence Olivier would put on his costume and when the wardrobe was right, he was in character. That sounds superficial, but it's true, and look at the results.

I design for the movie and the character as well as the person wearing the costume. I show the ideas to the actor, then do fittings for shape and technical things such as movement in the costume. Once the costume in this form is on the actor, you have a sense of their connection with it. I then take it to the next level with the final fit.

The costume affects your posture, affects your walk, how you hold yourself, and how you breathe. The costumes make you deliver.

Costume is a huge part of getting into character. Your body soaks in what you're wearing, and you turn into someone else.

Actors have an unusual perspective on clothing. You've really got to know the impact of what you're wearing on the character you're playing.

When you do a movie, you go to the location and get into your costume. It's part of your metamorphosis into your character, and it just made sense to do it.

In the beginning, when you're acting in amateur theater and off-Broadway, it was unheard of that anyone else would get your costume. And it was important to get a good costume. You put time into that.