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A lot of films come out before they're finished.

When authors who write literary fiction begin to write screenplays, everybody assumes that's the end. Here's another who's never going to write well again.

Once I finish a film, I don't ever see it again. Never ever. I have never seen any of my films since I finished them.

Over the years, many producers have come and gone, and screenplays were written and abandoned. It's the Hollywood process. It's hard to get things done.

I don't know - I haven't seen any of my movies after I finish them. I leave the editing room; I don't go back.

I think as an actor you're lucky to have any film take on a life of its own long after it's left the theater.

I don't believe moviegoers don't have patience. Screenwriters are told a scene can't be longer than three minutes, that you have to cut to the chase. Not true!

All directors make films in individual ways. But the classical kind of view of filmmaking is that you have a script, and it's very linear. There's a script, then you're going to shoot the script ,and then you cut that, and then that's the end of the film. And that's never really been how I've seen it.

Having been an actor and a writer for so long - 20 years or so - I felt that it would be daft to go to one's grave without having directed. It's a natural extension of writing and acting, and so I knew it would happen one day.

With episodic, kind of one-hour directing, they always have guest directors come in, so they don't have the same person week after week. You get a break.