I never had any master plan about directing, and I don't really write.

There's a certain type of character that you can't help but come in contact with growing up and living in Brooklyn and Long Island. A certain mixture of moxie, heart, and a wise guy sense of humor.

Casting is everything. Getting the person that you imagined is this character and then seeing what they bring to it.That's why you hire them, so why tell somebody first what it is you want? I'm more curious to see what they bring to it and then be inspired by it and say: "OK, what if you tried this?" or "What would happen if ... ?"

My favorite review described me as the cinematic equivalent of junk mail. I don't know what that means, but it sounds like a dig.

Casting is everything. Getting the person that you imagined is this character and then seeing what they bring to it.

I had a magic kit. I never really followed through on it, but I had my phase of wanting to do it, sure.

We both [with Jo Andres] think that it is really important to our culture that we support all kinds of music, all kinds of theatre and all kinds of art because you never know what moves people. We've always believed that there should be a strong voice outside the commercial world. Certainly, the commercial world has a huge place in our culture and we also support that - but, we also want to support the stuff that lives outside of that.