Amongst black people, you have always heard it said that once a black man reaches a certain level, especially if you are an entertainer, you get a white trophy woman. I didn't make that up.

I don't think I'm a total pessimist, so I think you can find hope in all my films.

Any time you talk about the look of the film, it's not just the director and the director of photography. You have to include the costume designer and the production designer.

He revolutionized music videos. Before Michael Jackson, MTV refused to play African-American artists.

You know that first of all your films have to make money no matter who you are.

First of all, what in this world does not revolve around money? But money is a big part of film, unlike a lot of other art forms.

Music is, for me, a great tool of a filmmaker, the same way cinematography, the acting, editing, post-production, the costumes are. You know, to help you tell a story.