James Duval Quotes

I believe that independent film making is the last frontier of creative expression available. So I'm always willing to lend a helping hand to a young film maker who's just getting into the business.

Going forward, I would love to work with directors like Rian Johnson and Joss Whedon; people like that who are doing big films but do have really independent voices. That's kind of what I want to focus on, is always working with people with at least an independent point of view, even if it's not an independent film.

As a director, I get to have a much broader creative expression than as an actress.

I don't like directing that much to want a career as a director for hire. I like to have as much creative control as possible.

It was always my dream to be a director. A lot of it had to do with controlling my own destiny, because as a young actor you feel at everyone's disposal. But I wanted to become a leader in the business.

I love independent film so much, and that's kind of where I made my mark.

I'm just a sucker for a good script and people that are passionate about it. I love independents.

The kind of work I do and the films I believe in, I had to take charge of making that kind of cinema.

I think I'll always be making movies that intend to say something new.

Bollywood is such a space where you get to work with so many genres. Genres being pushed isn't the way of looking at it. In fact, I think Indie needs to be given a lot more focus or recognition.

I think Van Sant is the most important American director we have. He takes the most risks. He's just pure to me.

You definitely want to do the little films. They're always going to be harder, but you don't do them to make money. You do them so you can see what you can make with the research that you have.

But I think the thing I'm proud of about the film is that there aren't many films - either independent films or mainstream Hollywood films - that are like this; it's of its own times, and it's the film Mike Nichols wanted to make.

And I may often question choices I make as a producer. But I've never questioned the choices I make as a director.

When you direct a movie, you're basically looking at a story, the way you want to look at it. You bring that director's vision, and I'm totally open for that.

All the director wants is their idea of the movie to be believed in.

They seem much rarer now, those auteur films that come out of a director's imagination and are elliptical and hermetic. All those films that got me into independent cinema when I was watching it seem thin on the ground.

The truth is, when I started to make films, I was terrified. I had a huge difference in what I was writing in the screenplay and what was on the screen after. Sometimes there was a big gap. Now, the more I have experienced, the more I do movies, the more I feel that the dream is closer to the screen. It's coming with experience.

Film is just a great medium to express yourself and a great environment to work around.

Well, I think that when you direct a movie or write it. And in the case of the two movies I did, I wrote and directed, they occupy a special place for you.

I read an interview with Mark Wahlberg, and he was like, 'I might read a script and love it, but it's all about the filmmaker.' I think that's a good lesson for me.

You don't make a movie, the movie makes you.

You know I'm proud that I was able to develop and produce movies that I wanted to make.

I am really looking for a chance to direct. I feel like that's kind of the next frontier for me. I know that it's really hard to do, but I feel like I want to have a chance to try and translate something I've written and try and get a tone across.

After I do a big movie I get offered big movies. But I always do the weirdest indie.