I just directed another picture called 'American Dream' with Nick Stahl. Just finished shooting principal photography right before I started ['Lincoln'].

Very few people make exterior movies anymore. It's always action films driven by action and quick editing.

We exchanged a couple of ideas and stuff like that, but that's about it. I just think ... consulting on 'Tintin' was very interesting because you try to ... not educate, but inform the animators [about] what the lighting looks like, but [in the end] they do it themselves. I don't actually go and sit there with them. [We] just had a couple of conversations.

There are films that are difficult. There are films that would actually affect your personal life because of the length of the production, how long [you're away] from the family.

The greatest directors are the greatest users. They use people's talents to tell the story that they want to tell.

[Spielberg] surrounds himself with great crew members who are at the top of their game and know their stuff. He motivates us by liking what we do, and he doesn't get paralyzed by the process or by new ideas. He embraces them and uses them.

It's very hard to go to Monument Valley and not think of John Ford's films.