It's very clearly stated in the film: You make your own choices, and what you're always fighting is ego.

The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.

As a filmmaker, "no" is not in my vocabulary. I've got to figure out a way.

When Ray Charles is concentrating he's like a piece of granite, nothing twitches, nothing, ... He sat for 25 minutes solid like that, like a stone, and I thought, 'Oh my God, if he doesn't like it I'm dead.' ... And then finally, after 25 minutes he started to talk back to the screen. I heard him say 'That's right. That's the truth.' .

This devil loves mankind because men are going to always make the choice that will send him into ascendancy. He's been winning the game for a long time.

Music has always been an important thing to me in my life and understand I've worked in the music business.

You'd be surprised how many movie stars still care about the work.