There is no learning without some difficulty and fumbling. If you want to keep on learning, you must keep on risking failure-all your life.
I've been wanting to make a movie about the war in Sierra Leone, specifically, for more than 15 years.
One of the great things about working with Focus is that you're never forced, especially with a film with low budget. The pressure is sort of off. It's like it's so under the radar in a sense that you can cast whoever you want.
Levity, you need levity to feel anything. You need to laugh before you cry. I think films that take themselves too seriously without any levity are missing an important ingredient to the potential emotional impact of their stories.
Everyone wants to be liked, so of course you want critical acclaim. After that, box office acclaim isn't bad. More than anything I think you have to try and make something you're proud of.
I'm the kind of person where you're never done, you just keep perfecting and perfecting and perfecting, or trying to fix things that drive you crazy. Often times when you watch a film, "if I could just get through this minute, I'll be fine. " So I think I'm just hard on myself.
They're always surprised with what I want to do and don't want to do. I think they're surprised I don't want to do robo-tech. I don't know, it's like they want me to have a long career. And be prolific and make big movies.
Whenever destroyers appear among men, they start by destroying money, for money is men's protection, and the base of a moral existence.
Conducting is a strange thing to teach.
I am not a composer of music; I sing pieces which have been written for me which gives me bigger freedom to search for pieces I want to record.
I received my Greetings from Uncle Sam in May 1943. I applied for the Air Force.