Things I’ve Learned As A Moviemaker

by Todd Field | Published February 3, 2007

In the Bedroom

In the Bedroom

On Being a Perfectionist

You know, you're with the subject for a long time. It's important that you get it to where you want it to be.

On Being an Actor or a Director

Acting's a lot easier... They bring you coffee and they run out and get you cigarettes. (laughing)

On the Lessons Learned as a First-Time Director

Take your vitamins. Drink a lot of water. Don't forget to eat. And prayer. Daily prayer. That's mainly what I learned.

On a Love-Hate Relationship With Los Angeles

Every once in a while you have to go back to LA. We're miners and that's where the mine is-it's a necessary evil.

On His Resistance to LA-Bash

I would not LA bash 'cause it's been way too kind to me-and it's too easy of a target.

On the Truth Behind Stanley Kubrick

He was like a friend of my father's. He was a very, very, very smart man. Very good sense of humor, completely humble and surprisingly open to ideas. Stanley would talk to the extras. He'd be in a very intense conversation with them, no less intensity to it than he would have with any of his lead actors. He was interested in ideas. He was interested in learning something. He was curious. He was indefatigable that way.

On Stanley Kubrick's Greatest Talent

You can tell his films are single-minded and they're controlled, but that all happened at a certain point. Up until that point-when that take is selected and it's executed-he's open to chance. That was his great talent. No one would ever guess that from seeing his films, but he was absolutely without any ego in that way.

On the Effect of the Threat of a SAG Strike

I'm getting calls from some fairly well-known actors who I hardly ever see cause we're always working and now they're calling a couple times a week and going, 'So what's going on? You want to play some gin rummy? Gee, wanna get a cup of coffee?' (laughing) What do you mean? I haven't heard from you in three years? 'Hey man, it's really slow right now!' (laughing)