I think movies are a director's medium in the end. Theater is the actor's medium. Theater is fast, and enjoyable, and truly rewarding. I believe in great live performance.

I don't think of it as a competition - which might surprise you, given the way movies are reported constantly.

I want to try and work in different genres with different types of actors, on small movies and big movies.

I think with Blair Witch and The Sixth Sense, people are much more open to something that is different.

My dad was born in Chicago in 1908... his parents came from Russia. They settled in Chicago, where they lived in a little tiny grocery store with eight or nine children - in the backroom all together - and my grandmother got the idea to go into the movie business.

The trouble when you're doing something illegal is that you know what you're doing. You're lying to your parents, you're lying to your kids. The only person you can't lie to is yourself.

One thing my family has shown me is that having a sense of humor is everything.

My heart goes out to children around the world who face terrible poverty. But the United States cannot give asylum to every child in that situation. It would not be sustainable. But we should care for those who are truly in danger.