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I think for some reason we're conditioned in movies that the protagonist must be heroic or redeemable in some way, whereas in theater, that's not a necessary.

In the film world, we can all be heroes. In the real world, where heroism can cost you your life or the life of the ones you love, people aren't so willing to make those sacrifices. When they do, they are set apart from the rest of us.

I do think the moral line you walk all the time about putting something in for the sake of the film and not being affected by people's lives is a very tough one.

It's rare that movies can sort of capture the tone of life; movies always feel like they have to be one thing or another.

I have to believe there's redemption in the darkest of circumstances; otherwise it's too bleak for me.

In novels, and American novels in particular, it's not just about redemption, it's about forward movement and healing oneself. Americans are very big on getting better.

Making movies has become such a golden ring, and it's all such a big business, that the rewards system has gotten totally out of whack. Suddenly, you're treated in a manner befitting someone who is actually an important person.

We've all watched hundreds of movies from characters' points of view that are not our own. That's part of the gift movies give us.

People have given their lives to this industry to make movies compelling.

I really think the biopic thing so rarely works, because people's lives don't have a dramatic shape that can be satisfying.