It turns out that good actors can make anything believable.

When I started to allow the characters to go where they wanted to go, I just had to follow.

I like taking genres and subverting them. I did that with In the Valley of Elah. I said, "Okay, this is just a murder mystery. Relax." And then, two thirds of the way through, I broke every convention of a murder mystery.

We all have these tendencies in us that could go this way or that. I think that's the real key in writing. To look at a character without judgment.

I just love actors, and I've always loved actors. I empathize with their job. Everyone thinks it's easy, and it ain't. To be that vulnerable and brave on camera is tough.

You hear this story that we're all on the left, but when there's a demonstration, you count how many actors actually come out. If there's a half dozen, that would be a big day.

When we're threatened, it's very easy to appeal to our basic natures.