There are movies whose feel-good sentiments and slick craft annoy me so deeply that I know they will become box-office successes or top prizewinners. I call this internal mechanism my Built-In Hit Detector.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
A hit film is what we work for as actors, as that goes to show that we have managed to entertain our audiences who shower us with their love and affection throughout the years.
I've made movies that nobody saw initially, and then, all the sudden, people over the years pick up on it. Like 'Spinal Tap' and 'Princess Bride.'
Sometimes I find some movies patronizing, which I feel is the ultimate crime.
There are a lot of things that come to bear on movies now that I don't think are good for movies. They're trying to appeal to the biggest demographic and, when they do that, you sometimes flatten out.
Do you know what a blessing it is to make movies that make people happy?
I guess I judge my films by how pleased I am with the work I do, so it's kind of on another level. If they do well at the box office, then that's great. Then I'm really pleased about that too.
My victory is when the audience buys a ticket to watch my film. I am extremely thrilled when they give it a thumbs-up.
With movies, you get to be in a bubble while you're creating it, and it's not until it comes out that you see whether people like it or not.
I don't make movies thinking: 'Oh, this is going to be a huge box-office hit.'
When you're acting in a movie, you never consider the reception of it. It's impossible to predict how something will be received. Even if you think it's the greatest thing in the world, other people might not like it. Or agree with it.