I think 'retirement' goes hand in hand with people who make a living by having a 'job.' I don't think we-the .00001 percent of the population who are so fortunate to love passionately what we do-consider it a 'job.

I think the most insulting thing you can do to a director is to challenge when he or she is satisfied with your interpretation.

You're always in a tunnel that you can't see the end of. But there's something that took place on this movie that I don't think we expected and that was that once we decided that the entire cast would be real retired opera singers and retired musicians... and these people the phone hadn't rung for them for 20 or 40 years even though they can deliver.

If you can get out there and say I'm going to...I'm willing to fail at what I feel is right, that's it.

I think right now television is the best that it’s ever been, and I think that it’s the worst that film has ever been.

The truth is, I've made about 30 movies in 30 years, and I've been criticized for 30 years for not making more movies.

The trumpet player, Ronnie Hughes, has still got his chops today but for some strange reason the culture doesn't call him because he's 83-years-old. And these people are in their 70s and 80s and 90s and came with such verve every day and would still be shooting these 10 and 12 hour days. So, that in itself made this an extraordinarily special occasion for all of us. It wasn't a job for the crew after a few days, it took on another tone.