Search

"The producer has to present a series of playable scripts, a bunch of literary material, that's got to be ready to shoot week after week. And, it's got to have the integrity of character from one script to another. You have to respect the history of the show. It's a very complicated thing."

"Generally speaking, the dramatic roles are much easier. The reason that so few of us are good at comedy is that it's so damned hard. You really have to be good to be very sharp, indeed. Some very, very fine actors are lost in comedy. And they're smart enough never to do it. Have you ever seen Paul Newman in a comedy? He tried one."

"I knew that I wanted to have something to do with the camera. I didn't know whether I wanted to be a cameraman, or whether I wanted to direct. Directing, in a sense, was some crazed thing you never thought about. I mean, yeah, it would be great, but it was like trying to be President of the United States."

"I always maintained what I hoped was a very loving set -- a very calm and quiet set. My essence of what I learned and what I loved as a director was working with actors, working with the writers on the script, and essentially working with actors to interpret and to stage and to make changes as necessary. ... It was a wonderful way to work."

"I draw on everything I ever knew about -- painting, music, any kind of art. I use it all the time. I think that's what a director needs, a good liberal arts education."