The guys who won World War II and that whole generation have disappeared, and now we have a bunch of teenage twits.

Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while you shouldn't have messed with? That's me.

There are so many parallels in society today [with era of J. Edgar Hoover ] that you can use, whether it's the head of a studio or the head of an organization, a major newspaper, a major factory or company, of people who stay too long, maybe, and overstay their usefulness.

I tried being reasonable, I didn't like it.

Kids piercing themselves, piercing their tongues, what kind of masochism is that? Is it to show you can just take it?

Most people are afraid of change, but if you look at it as something you can always count on, then it can be a comfort.

Nobody wants to make something that displeases people, but once you make a film, that's out of your control and you can't think about that. You just have to follow your head and make sure that you're satisfied by putting down what you intended.