Stephen Sondheim Quotes

I resisted the film business as long as I could, because of the big circus act and the amount of money that it costs to make films - I saw my father suffer through that.

When you're doing a legitimate play, if you have a company of 12, it's considered a big cast.

In our time producers were the main pillar of any show.

I really love being onstage - that's kind of home base - but I love the camera, too. I love it all.

There just is exponentially more money in the movie business than in the music business. As a result there are more people involved in the creative process.

If you're a producer, you always spend too much money because you want that shot - and you're willing to spend a bundle to get it.

What's missing in the musical theater is producers willing to nurture new work, raise the money and put it on.

An associate producer is the only guy in Hollywood who will associate with a producer.

There's always gonna be people with a lot of money making film, and the goal is to make profit and carry on. It is a business. The goal is to make a living doing it and to be comfortable.

I want people to see my name on a movie, pay money and know they're going to be entertained for 90 minutes.

The decision as to why a show makes it has to do with politics and money.

I don't have any ego about it, but I find there's not a great work ethic in show business. A lot of people are in it to make money, and coming from stand-up, you have to work so hard because almost nothing works, and if you lose the audience for three minutes, you're dead.

I just needed a job. Before being hired as an usher at the CBS Theatre, I didn't even know there was a show business!

The truth is, we have this idea that late night is about creativity and being cool, but that's not our job. Our job is to get as many people watching the commercials in between our show. That's the reality of it.

Nowadays it seems more and more like the 'business' in 'show business' is underlined, and there are campaigns, and it's all part of getting people in to see the movies.

It costs a great deal of money to do a musical, and the more money involved, the more big business influences the artform.

If you look at film, distribution is pre-bought. If you've paid for the distribution, you say, 'I have to make sure it's a film that gets enough butts in the seats.' I think that's the problem: It becomes prohibitively expensive, and you can't develop films for a smaller amount of money.

The best thing about being an actress is getting good concert tickets.

I was never a child actor. I was a child performer.

Substantially fewer films will be produced over the next year or two. And a significant portion of the production costs of the reduced slate will be borne by hedge funds and other investment groups.

What about Broadway? Yes, I'm involved with a new musical based on 'The Adams Family.'

You can work and scratch out a living in the theatre, but, if you want to make money, you've got to hit the road. You've got to play big houses of 2, 3 thousand seaters with your name above the bill, do popular fare and reach out to the audience such as it is.

A hit show takes Hollywood magic indeed, but it also takes a lot of math and science, plus the study of polls and trends to make and sell a TV show.

You end up giving up half your salary every time you make a movie because you need the money to make the movie you have in your head.

You don't need tons of money to create art. You do need tons of money to be a part of show business. They are two different things.