The key is for the audience never to know, so I have a plan B for every illusion.

To make magic credible on screen is always very difficult. The story is the most important thing. That is what should win. If sacrifices or compromises are made, it's usually for story. Story in magic is very, very important to me. That's what I've really championed through my career.

I'm a big fan of the Pixar movies, and Ed Catmull, who wrote a book about his experiences producing them, talks about how it takes three or four years to get it right.

The more educated you get, the better shot you have to get it right, but if you're really trying something different, it's a challenge every time.

As I did more of that, I realized, "Well, maybe I should do more magic."

Usually, about two years of work go into each illusion, whether it's big or small. Two years of work on each five-minute piece.

To make [parents] happy, I went to Fordham University for three weeks, while at the same time running ads in Variety, "magician-actor David Copperfield."