I'm very proud of my flops, as much as of my successes.

I still think Ned Beatty should've played Don Corleone.

I had a heartbreaking experience when I was 9. I always wanted to be a guard. The most wonderful girl in the world was a guard. When I got polio and then went back to school, they made me a guard. A teacher took away my guard button.

If you're not allowed to experiment anymore for fear of being considered self-indulgent or pretentious or what have you, then everyone's going to just stick to the rules - there's not going to be any additional ideas.

You ought to love what you're doing because, especially in a movie, over time you really will start to hate it.

I thought I wanted to be a playwright because I was interested in stories and telling stories.

When that happens - when risk is taken and the filmmakers dive into the subject matter without a parachute - very often what you get it something with those qualities that make it age well with the public.