Quotes

Pornography is very important and is about the physicalization of a philosophy, but I think that the birth of how trends happen or how barriers get broken down is more interesting.

I only make movies that are interesting to me.

I probably should have a brand, but I think you can't get the best artists to work for you if you're branded. I get the trade-off, and I really would like to be more famous for my work, get more credit for my achievements. We all want more of that. But on the other hand, if you get too big--like it says in American Gangster (2007)'--success is your enemy.

I like learning stuff. The more information you can get about a person or a subject, the more you can pour into a potential project. I made a decision to do different things. I want to do things that have a better chance of being thought of as original. I do everything I can to disrupt my comfort zone.

[on criticisms that '24' made Americans more amenable to torture] I don't think we made it OK at all. I think that we just stated that it was going on. Ultimately, Jack Bauer was a wish-fulfillment character - the guy we wished we could be when we saw political injustice or terrorism, either in our country or other countries.

The more I've gotten to know Charlie Rose, who is uniquely exceptional at interviewing people, there's part of me that wishes I could do that. He's a purist - he's genuinely curious.

[on dealing with interviewees] Mostly they suggest that they come to me. But I'd be willing to go anywhere. The only rule I have is that I don't like to do it with food involved. I don't like anyone to eat while we're doing it. As they're eating, their blood sugar is changing, and you find these sorts of peaks and valleys.

I wasn't always a well-known producer. I was someone who could grovel and write good letters.

[on the preponderance of complicated male characters in his projects] I love women, and I love women in movies. It's just that I'm not a woman, and I don't have the same emotional issues as a woman. I think in order to make good movies, you have to be as close to the truth as possible. The truth is usually best understood from self-awareness, and my self-awareness is limited when it comes to women.

Good characters are often in pain.

I never wanted to make 'Far and Away.' I don't make period movies or movies with accents. I did it because Ron wanted to.