It wasn't so much a matter of whom I was acting with, it was whom I was watching: Marlon Brando, Maureen Stapleton, Geraldine Page, Jimmy Dean : a pretty hotshot group.

Jimmy Dean loved the feel of Indiana soil under his feet and I think that was the source of much of his strength.

Actually, the person I related to was James Dean. I grew up with the Dean thing. Rebel Without A Cause had a very powerful effect on me.

What I remember most about him was the little boy quality shining forth at you from behind those thick glasses of his, tearing at your heart. He had that extre…