Hollywood held this double lure for me, tremendous sums of money for work that required no more effort than a game of pinochle.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
I could have made a small film and kept all the money from 'Life is Beautiful'. Instead, I spent more money than I had on 'Pinocchio', a very risky film.
When I was doing a movie called 'The Seeker,' I was fortunate enough to be able to do a lot of my own stunts.
I just always loved pinball.
I've never felt a strong urge to rush into Hollywood, so I bided my time and waited till I had a decent body of work to show people, the icing on the cake being 'Salmon Fishing' and 'Parade's End.'
You can spend an extraordinary amount of time raising independent money to do a movie for very little means. I've done it with 'Pawn Sacrifice.'
My first film out of the gate was financially so successful that I guess, being in Hollywood, you get kind of put into a certain box.
I've been simultaneously drawn to and repelled from Hollywood for years.
I'm dating myself by saying this, but I was the test audience for 'Space Invaders.' I remember when that was the first game that wasn't a pinball game. I spent a lot of money on 'Space Invaders,' in the form of quarters, of course.
The money isn't a lure. I've done very well out of this business.
Well, I was getting a lot of money then, and I wasn't getting any Hollywood films, so I just did those. I'd always do a play in between. Whenever I ran low on funds, I'd always rush off to do a movie somewhere.