Bennett Miller

“If something is to be quietly powerful, it requires more balance than a film that allows for more freneticism.”

“It's about creating an atmosphere so that characters can just live in front of the cameras. And to be sensitive, and for the actor to know the sensitivity that they are being observed with.”

“If you have a vision for something, things are navigable. If it gets fuzzy, then obstacles become much more formidable.”

“A film cannot make it into the culture without the support of critics.”

“My entire life can fit into a knapsack.”

“I like to have something that I can challenge common-sense notions about, challenge the apparent truths, and really look past the many faces of a thing to see what's behind it.”

“What I will say - one thing that is attractive about getting a real film made within the studio system is that studio systems, with their marketing and distribution, have real power.”

“I am attracted to these outsider characters who just don't belong anywhere, and who are operating in worlds they sort of don't fit, coupled with huge ambitions.”

“I am and always have been fascinated with people, and I have a very good time coming up with the narratives of people's lives, exploring how a person thinks and feels.”

“There's really powerful and potentially dominating forces when you make a film that can harm it if you're incapable of orchestrating things.”

“You can recognize almost immediately if the film you're watching is the product of some kind of a hive mind or the result of a personal vision and genuine collaborations. 'Manchester by the Sea' reminds us of the potential of the latter and, for that reason, is the kind of work that makes me, as a filmmaker, want to continue. It's inspiring.”

“Honestly, my smartest business decision was to never do anything that I didn't love doing.”

“People are attracted to entertainment, for sure, or jokes, excitement and romantically heightened stories that might be false, but are still attractive fantasies.”

“It's great making a film and having it embraced and seen. I really enjoy that.”

“If you talk to anybody, among the first things you'll hear is, 'Steve Carell is the nicest guy in the world.' And he is. 'Steve Carell is the greatest guy to work with.' And he is. But all of that belies other aspects that are as true with him.”

“I think the mind has a way of getting to where it needs to get to. If you are persistent.”

“I'm actually not a big reader.”

“It's hard. It's hard to get a film made properly.”

“I don't know of a filmmaker who does not feel buoyed and lifted when their peers embrace the work.”

“There is a paradox in politics that what it takes to get elected is not necessarily what it takes to govern, and my feeling is that trying to control things too much feels icky to me.”