Word: jf
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...JF: Yes. The reason for that was, one, I used to be an actor; two, I was a television director; and three, I wanted Sammy Grossman, who was the real director of the Super Bowl, to do it, and the day before we were going to shoot the scene, Grossman's agent called me and said that he wanted $15,000 for Grossman to do this one day's work. That would be the equivalent today of about $100,000. And I said, you know what, there's no way. I figured it was going to be a one-shot...
...JF: Well, I did 152 live television shows, most of which were not thrillers. I won the Emmy four consecutive years, just recently, doing cable films (Against the Wall, The Burning Season, Andersonville, George Wallace), none of which were thrillers. Some of my best movies are not thrillers (Birdman of Alcatraz, Grand Prix). I did Manchurian Candidate, and it was a huge success, and I got offered a lot of these things. And then, for a while, my career didn't do that well, and then I made a big comeback doing Black Sunday, and then I tried...
...JF: But don't forget: a lot of those directors didn't cut their movies. They'd do a three day thing with the editor, and then on to the next movie, and the producers and studios would cut them. That we've changed. We edit our own films, for the most part. There are some people that don't, but I certainly do. And I'm also involved with the Director's Guild (chairman of the Creative Rights Committee), and one of the things we're making directors do is exercise their creative rights...
...JF: I don't know, I've never tried to compare. [laughs...
...JF: Well, I think that's a problem with a lot of modern day directors, the fact that they don't work enough. I don't think you get to be a better director by having meetings and giving interviews and talking about it, and pontificating about it. I think that you become a better director by working, and by doing it. Having to face the everyday problems, and solve them. Boy, I tell you, you get better. I'm better now than I was twenty years ago. I think I have much more of a grip on stories...