“Making a big commercial movie is hard when you think about how many of them flop.”

The irony is palpable – technical access has never been greater, cultural access never weaker.

We are increasingly offered a diet [by Hollywood] in which sensation, not story, is king.

I think that stories, and the telling of stories, are the foundations of human communication and understanding.

Human beings have always told their histories and truths through parable and fable. We are inveterate storytellers.

If children all over the country are watching films, asking questions and telling their stories, then the world will eventually be a better place.

Make films whenever and however you can – don’t take no for an answer.

People have a right to have their lives witnessed; if we coexist with the systems that abuse people, then we have a duty to understand.

If you get a no from somebody, don’t say, ‘I’m going to take this as some big cosmic signal.’ No, you just got a no, deal with it. Just go to the next step.

The first big lead that I had on Broadway was in a show called La Strada.

Yes, but personally I was never a big acid head.

It was true, she thought, that the big things awe us but the little things touch us.

The Universe knows what it’s doing. So don’t develop a big ego, and don’t be afraid.

What I notice about people who are gifted in filmmaking is that they’re great thinkers. They engage with big ideas and they engage with people.

I wondered if my smile was as big as hers. Maybe as big. But not as beautiful.

Wall Street is one big turf war. By benefiting one person you are disadvantaging another person.