None of the chase scenes that I did had any opticals. We had to do all of that physically. The first thing you have to do is see it in your mind's eye. You have to envision it. Imagine someone knitting a sweater or a scarf. They either have a pattern in front of them, or they see a pattern in their mind's eye. Then it's one stitch at a time. That's what shooting a chase is like.
William FriedkinOne of my themes is that there is good and evil in everyone. I was not out to make these guys heroes. I really don't believe in heroes. The best of people have a dark side and it's a constant struggle for the better side to survive and to thrive.
William FriedkinDirecting is a nice job. It's the best job for me. If I had to pay money to do it, I would do it... Directing is playing. Acting.
William FriedkinAnd it was only a week later that I realized a close up of Steve McQueen was worth the greatest landscape you could find.
William Friedkin