I admit thereโs an element of brutality in all my work - itโs part of the truth about human existence I always want to explore - but the last thing Iโm trying to do is put on some kind of freak show, inviting people to get off on other peopleโs pain and humiliation.
Todd SolondzI don't have a formula. Every time an actor wants me to hold their hand, I hold their hand. If they say, "Stay," I say "Okay, respect." You know? "I'm right over here." A kid, if I need to give a line-reading, I'll start acting out the part for the kid and just mimic the kid. You know? Whatever it takes.
Todd SolondzSo far, at least, I haven't found a way to tell my kind of stories without making them both sad and funny.
Todd SolondzAt eleven I was at the peak of my creative powers: I was writing stories and playlets, putting together poetryprojects. I was absorbed by my 'work.' At twelve I was no longer reading or writing, just counting off days and checking them off. I was interested in survival.
Todd SolondzI think, in fact, there's a plus and a minus to knowing my prior work, Happiness and so forth. The plus is of course you can see how I play with the characters, the storylines, and the way things play off each other. And the minus is that it makes you a little bit more self-conscious, that you're not able to enter the movie as it exists and lives and breathes, because you're so busy making references, connections that you're not able to release yourself from and take the film on your own terms.
Todd Solondz