Danny DeVito Quotes

Directing is really exciting. In the end, it's more fun to be the painter than the paint.

If I wanted to have total control and be a dictator, I would do ice sculpture in my basement. If I want to make a movie, I'm going to work with 500 people, and I will have to work with their strength and their weakness.

Yes, in all my research, the greatest leaders looked inward and were able to tell a good story with authenticity and passion.

I think a first-time director always has to convince a lot of people that they're ready to do it.

A director is a choreographer, both politically and creatively.

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.

I love being creative. I love acting, but I also love directing because you get to have a vision for the whole and bring that vision to fruition.

I have an amazing team; I have amazing producers; I have amazing writers, but at the end of it, it's me making the decisions on the writing, the tone, the editing.

The writing is really hard. You're alone. It really pulls it out of you. You pull it out of your head. But when you're a director, you're shopping - you're picking this actor, you're picking this scene. It's like the most intense kinetic high-speed shopping of all time. You sit in a chair and it will all come rushing at you like a wind tunnel.

I used to think that, when I was a director, I would have a very specific vision of what everything would look like, but now I am more of a camp counselor.

Personally, I feel that in my own work I wanted to look programmed or impersonal but I don't really believe I am being impersonal when I do it. And I don't think you could do this.

It's totally thrilling to direct.

As a director, I never feel that I have the answers.

Directing is creating a whole. You're able to combine different elements and create a film that is unique and true to your vision.

You have to make films you feel strongly about. And then hope you can find the audience.

The point of having a director is that they make the final decision; it's their point of view, they set the rhythm and they make the final decisions.

That's the fun part about being a director. You get to say, 'Oh, now that I'm in charge, I can try and cast whoever I want.' They can always say no, but that's okay.

Because I'm the author of my screenplays I know what I'm looking for. It's true that I can be stubborn in demanding that I get what I want, but it's also a question of working with patience and love.

I do a film because I like the story and I want to give life to a character - I don't necessarily have to agree with the director.

I'm someone who has always been quite clear about what I like. In the studio, I'm not a control freak but I know what I want.

Your own barometer is all you have to go by, and often what makes a good director is knowing when not to say something. On occasions you can find yourself on a film set where the person who is wearing the director's hat is only trying to justify his position.

We make films that we ourselves would want to see and then hope that other people would want to see it. If you try to analyze audiences or think there's some sophisticated recipe for success, then I think you are doomed. You're making it too complicated.

When you're a director, you really live whatever you do.

Definitely directing is the thing I like the most because this is where everything you know can be used. It's the most personal process ever. It's the most demanding one, but again, rewarding.

I like to leave a film open-ended, with a lingering feeling. I'll not do sequels of any of my films till I have subjects to explore.