Russell Crowe stars in "Robin Hood," directed by Ridley Scott and also starring Cate Blanchett. The latest version of the classic fairy tale is being released on May 14 by Universal Pictures.

“I was very enthusiastic,” Crowe says.  “Robin Hood has always been in the back of my mind since I was a child.  I was a big fan of the various incarnations I saw when I was growing up.  There’s a universal connection that everyone makes to Robin Hood, which is at the core of the story: there might be somebody out there who cares enough to redress the imbalance.  There’s an empowerment quality about Robin to which people respond.”

A few years ago, no theme would have struck me as less stimulating for a movie than independent cinema. Probably by being too close to home, too mundan. But that encounter with Humbert Balsan and his death changed all that and gave me a completely different perspective on cinema. It occurred to me that a film about a producer could be a film about work, commitment, love and life.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is the director and star of "Jack Goes Boating," also starring Amy Ryan and John Ortiz. After premiering in the U.S. at Sundance in January, the film is being released by Overture Films later this year.

Jack Goes Boating is Hoffman’s first foray into feature film directing, but he is an accomplished stage director and brought those skills to the project. Hoffman had been interested in directing a film for some time, but taking on the dual roles of actor and director proved daunting.

You know I’m really nonplussed with actors. I don’t care who they are. It’s been the same since I was a child and I’ve never understood that fanaticism or that worship of fame. I looked at George Clooney as a collaborator. I respected his work and everything I’d heard about him as a man and as an actor was good. And he was absolutely great. He has such a warm presence and it’s easy to bask in it when you are working with him.