By the time I got to Bournemouth Art College, I'd been so inspired by Sam Raimi and Robert Rodriguez and their tiny, no-budget films that I decided to do a feature-length version of 'Fistful Of Fingers.'
I hope to be 70 and sitting at the table with journalists, talking about my films.
The films that I've done before were original stories most of the time, I did two adaptations before this, but they were mostly original stories where I had complete freedom to evolve in the direction I wanted.
Yes, I was hired by Universal because they needed a comedy director. They had seen Scandal and liked it. I saw an opportunity even in those comedies to begin my project of American films.
We don't consider black, urban films as 'indies,' though many of them are shot for under $10 million which is kind of the definition of an indie.
I do it because I love acting, I love working, and whether it's radio, television, films, theater, I don't care as long as I can get out there and do it.
I think if people who are attacking me or against me, if they would just watch one of my films, they would - they may not agree with me politically on all the things I'm saying. But they will know at the end of the film that I love this country and that I have a heart. And they'll have a good laugh throughout the film.
Maybe I've got to admit that what I did here was enough. I can make some more films. Maybe I'll direct a film. Maybe I'll have my musical put on stage. But nothing, really, to be absolutely honest, competes with making a very successful pop band for 10 years of my life.
Most of the books and films I love walk a knife edge between romance and cynicism, and I wanted 'One Day' to stay on that line. I wanted it to be moving, but without being manipulative.
You always worry about films when you hear about them making decisions after announcements are made.
I will be making films, and I'm going to keep working, no matter what I have to do. And I don't plan to ever ask for permission from anybody.
I like shows or films or books that have messages but don't beat people over the head with them.
When you work on these films for so long and so intensely, when you get to the end of them, suddenly there's nothing to do.
It's difficult to get films made, especially films about poets.
My stories are Alaska stories, and they need to be told in Alaska. Evergreen Films is located in Alaska; the company does amazing work, and I am thrilled at the prospect of working together.
When my friends and I would act out movies as kids, we'd play the guys' roles, since they had the most interesting things to do. Decades later, I can hardly believe my sons and daughter are seeing many of the same limited choices in current films.
Certainly, a lot of the films I've worked on have ended up good movies, but they haven't always been the best experiences.
I tested on a lot of TV shows and films after I finished drama school.
I made so many films which were more important, but the only one people ever want to talk about is that one with Bogart.
I have to write for everyone. What really fascinates me is how you make films or make stories that can genuinely be shared by different groups.
Some people feel fulfillment from a bitter end - it gives them some sort of sense of reality. But, when you're dealing with reality, I feel like films should discover the part that is happy.
The issue often with films is how it works with money and trying to get a visible movie star presence in the film.
I feel like, on a more macro scale, there's started to be a relationship between filmmakers and people who watch their films - you know, on Twitter and on the Internet.
We don't perceive a contradiction between writing books, making films or producing a television program. These days you can't choose how you want to express yourself anymore.
It means that if they misunderstood Comfort and Joy, they misunderstood my other films.
There are two types of films - one made by the big-time producers, the other is low budget stuff made by some producers who make films for the heck of it, they complete their films for small amounts, sell it at low costs with almost no publicity.
I turned down twelve films last year... Huge money films, but I had no respect for the writer or the work.
Give us a break! I've hardly done anything but independent films.
Hollywood is a wonderful machine for making big movies. In France, we make smaller and more personal films, but if things keep changing, this will disappear. The industry in Italy is practically gone. Cinecitta now is used mostly by filmmakers from others places, like Martin Scorsese.
I love doing kids' films.
If 'Trek' is a hit, we'd love to do a series of films - a regular event. Look at James Bond's films. They've been around since the early sixties.
I think it's important to do smaller films because I think that's where a lot of new things are happening.
European films were what it was about for me - the sensations I needed, the depth, the storytelling, the characters, the directors, and the freedom that you can't really find in American films.
My dream is to become a director. I want to direct a Hindi film. I have two scripts ready. One of them is a fantasy-adventure, while the other is a thriller. I've assisted my brother Selvaraghavan, who's a well-known director in Tamil cinema. I've also made short films.
This may just be me, but I feel like everyone's dream is to live as an American high school student. There are so many teen films set in America that you live vicariously through them, anyway.
It was really cool to work with Dakota Fanning. I've watched her grow up and I've always loved her films, loved her. It was amazing working with someone who was American as well, because obviously it's going to be a different energy straightaway. We got on really well; she's so professional and hardworking.
