I certainly knew my father. He just didn't happen to be my biological father.

Well, a girlfriend once told me never to fight with anybody you don't love.

You can follow the action, which gets you good pictures. You can follow your instincts, which will probably get you in trouble. Or, you can follow the money, which nine times out of ten will get you closer to the truth.

There's a tacit agreement today that the white male is the only legitimate target for any and all satire, criticism, and so forth. And we pretty much just accept it.

It [TV] is the cancer of film. It's why people can't be educated to film. In the late '60s, we expected to see a movie or two every week and be stimulated, excited and inspired. And we did. Every week after week. Antonioni, Goddard, Truffaut - this endless list of people. And then comes television and home video. I know how to work exactly for the big screen, but it doesn't matter what I think about the art of movie-making versus TV.

OK, the director makes the movie. But some movies can't get made without someone like me in them.

There was a period when I just wanted to make what I wanted to make and I didn't care what lie I had to tell.