A biography for Sam Mendeshasn’t been written yet.
“You just never know when movies are going to take off or not. The lucky thing about this was that it didn't cost a lot of money, and therefore there wasn't loads of pressure on me.”
“It's a risk casting anyone against type or what they're known to do. But there's one thing better than having a great actor, which is having a great actor who's never done what you're asking him to do. He's hungry to get out of the trailer every day and hungry to test himself.”
“You've got to work. You've got to want an audience to sit forward in their chairs sometimes, rather than sit back and be bombarded with images.”
“For me, certain shots or scenes are keys in the movie.”
“The movies that influenced me were movies that told their stories through pictures more than words.”
“I think with Blair Witch and The Sixth Sense, people are much more open to something that is different.”
“You're in the lap of the gods. If people go, they go, and if they don't.”
“When I drive through a field, I want to see green grass sometimes, and I don't want to see black and white.”
“As a first-time director in America, I feel I've been very fortunate.”
“Actors get pigeonholed very quickly, particularly movie actors. In the theater, one is more used to casting people against type and trusting that their talent and skill will get them through.”
“There's one thing better than having a great actor, and that's having a great actor who's never done this kind of role before and is hungry to do it. They're testing themselves every day. They want to get out of their trailer and get to work.”
“I still can't quite believe it. Although there was something about the fact that it was a first-time writer, a first-time producer, and a first-time director all at the same time.”
“You freeze with the number of opportunities given to you and just decide to do nothing at all.”
“I like throwing snowballs at small children.”
“You've got to believe as a filmmaker that if a movie's good enough, it's going to survive; and if it's not, well, it won't.”
“One of the reasons I loved working with Tom is people feel they know who he is... I think working with an actor who the audience already has a relationship with actually helps you in a film like this.”
“It took me a long time to film the plastic bag, and then I had to get the cut of the scene right. But if you find it as beautiful as the character does, then suddenly it becomes a different movie, and so did he as a character.”
“Listen, you make a big movie, you're going into the Coliseum, and people are going to give you the thumbs up or the thumbs down. And that's part of the game. It's part of the fun as well.”
“Kevin and Annette... I wanted them to do it together. They clearly wanted to work with each other.”
“This is the first time in 10 years I don't know what I'm doing next, and I'm rather enjoying it. Soon I'll be climbing the walls no doubt, but right now, it's not clear, I'm just enjoying the freedom.”