Spike Lee

“Right now a lot of people are still choosing to go to Toronto instead of shooting in New York City, something I haven't done and something I hope I'll never have to do.”

“I'm riding my man Obama. I think he's a visionary. Actually, Barack told me the first date he took Michelle to was 'Do the Right Thing.' I said, Thank God I made it. Otherwise you would have taken her to 'Soul Man.' Michelle would have been like 'What's wrong with this brother?'”

“People of color have a constant frustration of not being represented, or being misrepresented, and these images go around the world.”

“'Do the Right Thing' was like the first film where I really felt comfortable working with actors.”

“I don't dictate, you don't dictate to Stevie Wonder, not successfully.”

“I think my work shows that I love women. I understand where these types of criticisms are coming from because black people have been so dogged out in the media, they're just extra sensitive.”

“Fight the power that be. Fight the power.”

“Any time you talk about the look of the film, it's not just the director and the director of photography. You have to include the costume designer and the production designer.”