House was the first film where I had no influence on the script. I had to buy the script with the game rights.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
The first comedy screenplay that I wrote was Animal House and I always thought I could and should be a director but no one was about to give me that opportunity on Animal House.
When I get a script, it's the only time that I get to be an audience member with the first-time experience of that movie. That's the first and only time.
Actually when I gave out the script, I gave it with a CD of all the music I wanted to put in the movie, and again, we never thought we'd get all that music.
I sold my first script when I was 21 - this kids' adventure movie that never got made. I just bought that one back, actually. I'm pretty psyched about it.
Scripts don't get movies made.
It's never a script that makes me decide to accept a film or not.
When James Cameron brought me the script, which I developed with both Cameron and Jay Cocks, I wanted to make it a thriller, an action film, but with a conscience, and I found that it had elements of social realism.
No other aspect of filmmaking has tempted me to do a film other than the script and the story itself.
I opened the script to the 'The Wall,' and 15 minutes later I was done with it, and I loved the movie and wanted to be part of it.
Instead of dumping all my money on an independent film that nobody would watch and most people would make fun of behind my back, I decided, 'I'm just going to buy a house.'