It's not a filmmaker's job to explain his technique but to tell his story the best way he can.
Mike NicholsI love to take actors to a place where they open a vein. Thatโs the job. The key is that I make it safe for them to open the vein.
Mike NicholsIn making movies, time is so short-because it is so expensive-that we tend to neglect the place from which the best ideas come, namely that part of ourselves that dreams. The unconscious is our best collaborator.
Mike NicholsYes. The whole point about laughter is it's like mercury: you can't catch it, you can't catch what motivates it - that's why it's funny.
Mike Nichols