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 make films, and I hope that people come to see them. If they don't, I pay a big price. But I can't make decisions where I would change my own standards or my own taste in order to court the public in some way.

Burt Lancaster was largely responsible for me becoming a director.

Obviously its a good feeling to know that something you've done has lasted.

Every single art form is involved in film, in a way.

You can be moderate in a way and still intense in your views. It's the extremism that gets frightening; religious fundamentalism and wacko-left liberalism is crazy.