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

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

'Sugarland Express' was pretty amazing.

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.

You can't really micro-manage. You'll never make the movie in 52 days, if you micro-manage. If you do that, you take the creativity away from people because people just really quickly become disinterested when they're always being told how to do it.

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

I like the ending of the movie [War Horse], simply because it's such a demanding scene emotionally, and yet [the look] is all done on camera. I like the work not to be manipulated digitally. And it's all done on camera [in that scene].