Making a movie and not directing the little moments is like drinking a soda and leaving the little slurp puddle for someone else.

I don't think that anybody in any war thinks of themselves as a hero. The minute anybody presumes that they are heroes, they get their boots taken away from them and buried in the sand.

There's no other way to learn about it, except through documentaries. I encourage documentarians to continue telling stories about World War II. I think documentaries are the greatest way to educate an entire generation that doesn't often look back to learn anything about the history that provided a safe haven for so many of us today. Documentaries are the first line of education, and the second line of education is dramatization, such as The Pacific.

I've always wanted to tell a story about Lincoln. I saw a paternal father figure; I saw someone who was completely, stubbornly committed to his ideals, to his vision.

I had no choice. It was just something that happened. I was always looking for ways to act out, and I got a camera and it acted out for me.

One of the gratuities about being a director is that you can volunteer yourself out of difficult details.

He never gave up. And he does that for us