When adversity hits, go out and learn something.

In the old days it was important, but not as important as it is today, to keep making success after success after success. It's terrifying today. You can maybe have one so-so movie but you've got to come back with another that's huge, if possible, and that must be very, very difficult for young talent.

I'd like to be an original, to be myself and not a pale copy of anyone else.

I don't think today's younger audience... would even know what 1920s musicals were like.

Sometimes opportunities float right past your nose. Work hard, apply yourself, and be ready. When an opportunity comes you can grab it.

When I start to write, I see my stories as a kind of movie. For instance, I ask myself, "What kind of opening do I want for this book?"

The thrill of being in front of a camera remains exactly the same.