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

Historically the director has been the key creative element in a film and we must maintain that. We must protect that, in spite of the fact that there is new technology that's continually trying to erode that.

I have gotten to a point in my life where I don't want to have dinner with someone I don't like.

If you cast the picture correctly, you have a whole lot of leeway. You can make mistakes in other aspects but pull it off with the right actors.

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

But I really am very active in the choice of the line producer with the producer of record and the distributing company, because I've had some terrible, terrible experiences with some line producers, particularly in cable.

The first assistant director is just so important that the choice of that person is critical to the movie.