If you’re not certain of the value of mentorship, think of how many elite athletes or professional sports teams train without a coach. Zero. How many of your favorite films are made without a producer or director? Zero. How many of the best schools in the world function without teachers? Zero. It’s safe to say […]
Movies Quotes
“Nightmare Alley” was an interesting example of how insecure I am. I was like, “Oh, I guess I still am the guy that wants to be in the group,” because I had no intention of acting in anything other than I’ve been writing.
With “American Sniper,” I got the book and I put the work in, asked Clint Eastwood to direct it; we spent the time and got the script right and took it from the beginning of an idea all the way to the end.
I am deeply grateful for the work in “Potter” and indeed “Downton” but it wasn’t what you’d call satisfying. I didn’t really feel I was acting in those things.
In the 1930s there was this tendency in Hollywood to portray everyone as rich. Even if they were doing a poor man’s dance, they were all so nicely clothed, gowned, coiffured. That’s why I decided to wear white socks, loafers, T-shirts, and blue jeans.
I think societal collapse is in the air — or it smells like it — and, without being pretentious, that’s why hopefully movies matter, because that’s the role of the artist … to shine a light on what’s going on.
Unfortunately, I’m not getting movie roles where I play, like, “a rather young-looking old man.” Maybe I’m doing something wrong—not taking advantage of it enough.
My dream was always to be a filmmaker.
“Snow White” was more than a picture to me. It was a life saver. The bank had loaned me $1,500,000, and they were getting jittery, because all I had to show them was drawings.
I figured that it was idiotic to make pieces for children, because a 10-cant or 15-cent audience is unimportant in this business. So all of our work was slanted principally at an adult audience. ‘Snow White’ road-showed at prices ranging from 85 cents up, proved that parents would pay even those prices for their children’s […]
