I`ve always wanted to call the shots because I would rather fail than not have a chance to figure it out on my own. I`m a very lazy person by nature. I have to be really engaged, and then I go straight from lazy to obsessive. I couldn`t study chemistry, but I could memorize all the books for Dungeons and Dragons. It was ridiculous. The trick is to find what I like to do.

I wanted to do a Christmas movie. I had been offered Surviving Christmas (2004), and I opted not to pursue that one any further. And then Elf (2003) came along and I thought it really plays into my sensibilities. I thought the one thing about Will Ferrell that I had not seen him do a lot was show his heart as a person and a performer. In developing the script, although it was edgy and irreverent at times, I wanted to keep it a PG movie, not a PG-13 movie that made fun of Christmas.

I don`t `handle` people. It`s so much easier to manipulate actors than to really have an earnest discussion with them. It`s very easy to say whatever`s going to appease them and then turn around and do whatever you want to do. It`s difficult to be forthright with people, because the job does not lend itself to that.