Once I start to do a film, it has inferences. If a guy walks down a street and kicks a dog, you're saying something about that guy. A guy walks down the street and somebody's about to be run over and he shoves him out of his way and gets hit by the car himself, you're saying that guy's a hero. You can't avoid making certain statements.

Reading a novel of a private experience, very, very different, the nature of it is very different.

If we were a primitive society, movie stars would be gods.

I didn't believe that I'd ever be lucky enough to be able to make a living as an actor.

Most human beings who are accustomed to attempting to see the world from various points of view tend to be more liberal than conservative.

I didn't grow up thinking of movies as film, or art, but as movies, something to do on a Saturday afternoon.

Burt Lancaster was largely responsible for me becoming a director.