I want people to flourish. I want them to walk away from the experience going, "That's what it should be like."

If I could be anyone, it would be Brad Pitt.

People always ask why I don't make independent movies. I do make independent movies - I just make them at Sony and Paramount.

The thing I always say to any writer that I'm working with is: Just make sure that in any argument, EVERYONE is right. I want every single person arguing a righteous side of the argument. That makes interesting drama.

Movies aren't finished, they're abandoned. And you have to make your peace with that.

The thing is, that great actors are everywhere. They're everywhere. They're doing good parts on television. They're doing television commercials. They're doing local theater. There are so few opportunities.

Filmmaking isn’t if you can just strap on a camera onto an actor, and steadicam, and point it at their face, and follow them through the movie, that is not what moviemaking is, that is not what it’s about. It’s not just about getting a performance. It’s also about the psychology of the cinematic moment, and the psychology of the presentation of that, of that window.