I turned down 'Harry Potter' and 'Spider-Man,' two movies that I knew would be phenomenally successful, because I had already made movies like that before and they offered no challenge to me. I don't need my ego to be reminded.

My dad took me to my first movie.

I think producers are more interested in backing concepts than directors and writers. I don't think that's the right way of making a decision about whether you're going to back a film or not.

Lincoln's leadership is based on a number of precepts, but my favorite one is that he acted in the name, and for the good, of the people.

It's still a mystery to me, but even though my mother was like an older sister to me, I kind of put her up on a pedestal.

For the most part, everybody who fights in war fights to survive.

The older I get, the more I look at movies as a moving miracle.