I guess I don't try to justify climbing or defend it, because I can't. I see climbing as a compulsion that, at its best, is no worse than many other compulsions - golf or stamp collecting or growing world-record pumpkins.

Military investigations are designed not to find anyone guilty. And you can't investigate up the chain of command, which is a huge impediment.

Military investigations are designed not to find anyone guilty.

Why climb? That's a question that baffles me. It perplexes me. I really asked that a lot on Everest. I can't justify it. I can't say it's for a good cause. All I can say is look at the history of exploration: it's full of vainglorious pursuits.

The funny thing about 'Take Shelter' is that a lot of people talk about how it was allegory for the economy and things that were to happen. And that was so on the nose in the movie for me. I was like, 'That's obvious.' It's the other stuff about marriage and commitment and those other things that I spent the most time thinking about.

I would love to do a good gritty drama, a romantic role. I tend to play bad guys for some reason.

There aren't a whole lot of things I want out of life. My bucket list is extremely short: Achieve the success in the industry I want, and get married. If I achieve both of those, I can die completely stoked. I don't need anything else.

My grandpa and I loved Emeril. It was all he wanted to watch when he was in the hospital dying. When I met Emeril later, it was so emotional.