To whom one reports is a unit of measure. It measures the exact distance between the player and the center of power. It is the closest we can get to a calibrated answer to the question 'How big am I?' More than the size of an executive's office or even his title, which no one remembers anyway, the fewer people between the player and a 'yes,' the more powerful he is.

My goal has been to learn how to get movies made without losing sight of the reasons I began. I have had to learn to recognize the insidious nature of the beast without becoming one.

[On filmmaking:] Cardinal rule: It's a youth business.

with all these tentpoles, franchises, reboots and sequels, is there still room for movies in the movie business?

The only way I can access all my strength is to relax. ... The paradox is that you must learn to be relaxed while using all your power.

Every single one of us who has been a Woman in Film for more than five minutes is sick of the phrase Women in Film.

True power is invisible and impeccable, like good taste. It is never clumsy or artless. Powerful people whisper, suggest, seduce, in order to coerce. They only use volume for effect. This is how you can tell a blowhard from a mogul. ... Most powerful people don't need to coerce; their mere presence is coercive.