When I decided to direct, never having done that before, is something I'm very proud of

You can mostly forget ethnic or religious differences. The competition for a bigger share of the oil proceeds is behind much of the fighting

I'm an actor who loves to direct film, if I find something that I'm compelled to do and want to spend three or four years doing. I really love the process, though. I might have to just say, "Yeah, I want to direct that," because I want to direct something, but that's just not the way my being is. It's got to be a necessity for me, otherwise I'll just keep acting.

It's hard to see a film that's been made from a book that you really loved because it's such a different experience

I've always wanted to work with Paul Newman. I had a couple opportunities in the past, and I didn't take advantage of it, so it was really fun to be working with him

I am not one of these guys who works job after job after job.

A lot of films come out before they're finished.