Greta Gerwig and Mahershala Ali discussed the power of New York during the fifth season of Variety and PBS’ series “Actors on Actors.”

“I had a mythology associated with New York,” Gerwig, who moved from Sacramento to New York City to pursue acting, said. “I didn’t have a particular reason for it other than, I thought, ‘that’s where you go.'”

Ali shared his own theory as to why New York City is such a hot spot for dreamers and creatives.

“I do believe that there are creative chakras or different sorts of energy centers,” Ali said. “There is something about tapping into your personal engine in New York, and therefore something [forces] you to be reflective of why you’re doing it, how you want to do it, and it leads you to finding your voice, so to speak.”

The interview will air in its entirety on Variety’s “Actors on Actors” Season 5, presented by The Venetian Las Vegas, which debuts on PBS SoCal on Jan. 3.