I like Stallone, because he writes. He sits down with a blank page and comes up with another Rambo movie. That isn’t very easy for anybody. He’s made it successful on top of that.
You realize as a director that when you are cutting a film, you want to have alternatives. You need color and choices. You don’t want four takes that are identical.
I think mortality makes you live a fuller existence. When I was a kid I was scared of death, and maybe that’s what made me desperate to get the most out of life.
I think the energy I give off is quite non-confrontational. That’s something you learn from karate. Once you try to be a tough guy, you’ve got to pay up. You’ve got to prove yourself. And that’s exhausting.
You can’t give someone five hundred punches in a film anymore. You beat on them, and they continue to stand there staring at you. That doesn’t work. People just don’t buy that anymore.
I train about four or five times a week. I guess I am addicted to it. I also do a lot of martial arts. More than I have done in awhile. I like to go back to martial arts because it makes me feel good.
I like being the villian. I don’t know if it has to do with my personality. You get to have a lot more fun as a villian. You don’t have to stick to the rules. You can be a lot crazier. You can go off the rails.
