I`m not a good enough actor anymore to be able to stand up here and make you believe that I haven`t imagined this moment in my mind over the years and played it out about a thousand times. I`m very grateful for this. I`m very grateful for an entire lifetime spent involved in this creative process.

As soon as the movie was over, we just left the theatre, didn`t say a word and got back in line for two and a half hours to see it again

I`ve always been interested in the Depression as this very dramatic pivotal period in American history. My dad grew up on a farm in Oklahoma and remembers playing with his toy tractor under the table while the local farmers talked with his grandfather about forming a local militia to protect the crops because they were afraid unemployed people from the town would come in and grab the crops.

It`s a fascinating story to adapt and essentially it`s a great opportunity to entertain and provoke conversation.

The story of Jim Braddock continues to be so incredibly stirring because it is a tale that reminds us of just how remarkable human endurance and the power of love can be,

Viewing in a theater is the optimum experience. It needs to be preserved. ... But, at the end of the day, technology and viewers are going to tell us what they really want.

I believe audiences are ready to embrace the complexities of the film, but it still boils down to heroism. The simplistic approach is not appropriate and it`s not interesting. We know there will be limitations and controversies.

That was hilarious. Fortunately the deal was already closed.

It wouldn`t quite make sense to make it anywhere else.

One of the great things about being a director as a life choice is that it can never be mastered. Every story is its own kind of expedition, with its own set of challenges.

We look at some similar areas in such a completely different way. We`re a comedy, we`re very contemporary. We`re very much about the impact of celebrity and fame on an individual in today`s world.

It was always our goal to try to present schizophrenia in a very personal way. So the delusional characters are symbols, you know, manifestations. It`s all a bit more allegorical, it`s not pure case study, it`s not a clinical presentation.

"I`m not a caterer. I just have to stay with my creative convictions. At some point, you have to just get past the special-interest groups and do what you`re there to do, which is make a movie."

"I`ve acted with all types, I`ve directed all types. What you want to understand as a director, is what actors have to offer. They`ll get at it however they get at it. If you can understand that, you can get your work done."

"There is something inherently tough about Americans. They will not accept defeat. The astronauts of Apollo 13 (1995) would not give up, John Nash in A Beautiful Mind (2001) would not give up, and Jim Braddock would not surrender to poverty".

[When asked what his future holds in 1979] "If I had to choose between a great acting job and a good directing job, I`d choose the directing job."

"It was always my dream to be a director. A lot of it had to do with controlling my own destiny, because as a young actor you feel at everyone`s disposal. But I wanted to become a leader in the business."

[When asked about the transition from child star to adolescent actor] "You`re 14 or 15, and they can hire an 18-year-old and not have the child-labor law restrictions, and so they do. Just at the point when you`re feeling confused and vulnerable, you`re being rejected."