Rob Lowe, who I thought was really good in the movie [ Bad Influence], had his performance overshadowed by this sort of tabloid approach to him and the movie.

I approach the movies I make as a movie-lover as much as a movie-maker.

I look for characters that interest me, and a story that keeps me involved and makes me want to know what happens next.

There was a long period of time when Sam Fuller had a lot of projects fall through and had a lot of difficulties getting a project off the ground. And I was able to observe him during that period, and see his incredible resiliency and courage as he faced this difficulty and just kept working.

Pittsburgh has this rich industrial past, when it was the heart of the U.S. steel industry, and it burned out as the industry burned out and moved elsewhere.

A day doesn't go by when I don't get a compliment on L.A. Confidential, for example.

What I try to do is give each actor an environment in which they can do their best work.