I didn't have any desire I might have had 10 years ago to shoot every single word that I wrote.

So with 'There Will Be Blood,' I didn't even really feel like I was adapting a book. I was just desperate to find stuff to write.

The films that I love are very straightforward stories, like really old-fashioned stuff.

But I'd be lying if I didn't say that every time you go to make a film, you're desperate to either do it better than you did it last time or to not repeat yourself.

I've never been a fan of whimsical or confusing storytelling.

My writing has a lot to do with who I am, and what my life is like, and my relationships to people.

I didn't have any desire I might have had 10 years ago to shoot every single word that I wrote.