All the lessons you learn in film school from the people you hate are always the ones that are important. The lessons you think are great and thankful for never end up meaning anything to you.
Well, I certainly was exposed to and learned to appreciate the work of great directors early on. As a kid, my mother used to take me to see really interesting arty films in Los Angeles.
Obviously, you know, I am known as an action director, and being a film editor previously had been a great advantage for me as an action director.
Everyone has their 'Showgirls.' We remember the great films actors have been in, and the rest get forgotten. But occasionally, people like to revisit the ones that get swept aside.
I don't watch a great deal of television because I don't have a television, and I don't have a huge catalog of films that I've watched, either.
I saw all those great '70s films when I was 9, and no one in my Brooklyn neighborhood cared if a kid watched an R movie.
My early films were very European based. It was 'As It Is In Heaven,' 'Together,' they were great international successes, but then I did, I think, 60 movies or something.
Time and time again I was told that I would never make the film on time and never make it on budget. That kind of criticism tends to turn me into a great big motor of efficiency.
I've done great theatre, great films and had a lot of opportunities in television. I also love to sing, and I've been able to do that once or twice in the television shows.
I think the whole DVD craze has provided opportunities for material that, for those interested in it, explains the whole history and background in getting a film made, which is great.
Making films is great. You've got 100 people around and you're all dressing up and making weird art-it's a fun group activity.
Theatre is the principal job of an actor. An actor's job is to tell a story to someone in a room. TV and film can be great and I really love doing it, but it is a different way of telling a story.
You live for those really great scenes where you almost feel that the film has gone beyond what was printed on the script pages and been raised to another level.
Jessica Alba. I have the biggest crush on her, I can't even tell you. I met her in Vancouver when she was filming 'Good Luck Chuck.'
The difficulty of writing a good theatre play set in new reality was even greater given that the level of similitude to life that is allowed in a film would not work on the stage.
The biggest mistake in student films is that they are usually cast so badly, with friends and people the directors know. Actually you can cover a lot of bad direction with good acting.
In my first film, I was a basketball player. Like every good actor, I lied when they asked me if I could play.
I find that with any good run on a show with good writers, they put something on paper, and you put something back on film, and that affects what they put on the paper the next time.
There aren't enough good roles for strong women. I wish we had more female writers. Most of the female characters you see in films today are the 'poor heartbroken girl.'
I've been trying to do films for years. So I've decided to wait until the next good part comes along and develop a record on my own in the meantime.
I don't make any distinction between a popular TV series or blockbuster film and doing Shakespeare. They're different, but as long as the material is good and the intention is honourable, it's all the same to me.
