I am not an insecure actor, and this reflects in the films I have done. Yes, there was a phase when I was adamant on solo hero roles, but that is over now.
This was in '79. I got pretty restless there, sitting around with a lot of people sitting around smoking cigarettes and talking about films, but nobody really doing anything.
I also have a film coming up called Breaking Up, and my part in that was not written for a Latina, and my character is not particularly pretty or sexy or exotic.
There has never been a female director who has won an Oscar. There has only been one woman who won at the Cannes Film Festival.
I have actually directed over thirty plays and about one hundred commercials for cable TV, but have not yet had the opportunity to direct a feature film.
Sometimes, I feel the reason I have become a star beyond my films is that I am politically incorrect.
As a painter you're responsible yourself, 100 percent. In film, you have the editor, the director, the other actors. It has the advantage of not being solitary.
Many comedic stars have tried to a do a 'Night at the Museum' type film, in which an everyday Joe reacts to insane circumstances. Many flat out failed.
There's an unwritten law that you cannot have a Jewish character in a film who isn't 100 percent perfect, or you're labeled anti-Semitic.
'Do the Right Thing' was like the first film where I really felt comfortable working with actors.
I live in New York City, the stories of my films take place in New York; I'm a New York filmmaker.
With acting, there is a level of anonymity which is conducive to your profession. There are examples of very public people who are on the cover of every celebrity magazine but can't open a film.
It's really fun to be in a film that's pure entertainment, that people want to go and see. I think, in the current climate, the state of things, people want escapism.
When I was younger and in primary school, I'd do maybe a film a year, and I had to adapt to being away from everyone for a couple of months.
Doctor Who is like any long-running series in that the cast tend to look to the star to set the general tone. Rehearsals and filming could be a lot of fun.
It's pretty clear to me that working as a director for hire agrees with me. I like it. The films that have come out of that, I personally like better than the ones that didn't.
There is something particularly fascinating about seeing places you know in a piece of art - be that in a film, or a photograph, or a painting.
Even though I was concentrating on that two-week period from September 11th to September 20th, I was seeing the policy for real, happening, that we were talking about in the film.
'Saw' is a particularly popular film with 14-30 year olds, so I'll be at a playground and meet six or 10 skateboarders who just wanna talk about 'Saw.'
I've played a lot of really smarmy people in film, and it can be real fun, don't get me wrong. But it can be characters I'm not as excited to explore.
Stanley Kubrick went with his gut feeling: he directed 'Dr. Strangelove' as a black comedy. The film is routinely described as a masterpiece.
