So I've had really great assistant directors for my last seven movies.

One of the first lessons you learn as an actor is to listen.

One of the other things I think that I've been able to do in my life, is to listen well

I feel that my job is to create an atmosphere where creative people can do their best work.

I think that you can't make a movie without a script. But you also can't make movies without actors. You also can't make movies without technicians. And there has to be just one person in charge of everybody, and to me that one person is the director.

The accolades usually come when you're dead or too old to get a job

A disk unbeknownst to the director can go to the producer in another city or in another office and that producer can edit behind the director's back much easier than in the old days. Since these dailies are now put on videotape, more kinds of people have access to dailies.