Taylor Hackford

“It isn't glamorous until after the film is finished, and you are at the premiere and getting your picture on the cover of magazines.”

“Music has always been an important thing to me in my life and understand I've worked in the music business.”

“I make films about working class people.”

“I'm not in front of the camera, they are. I encourage them; I build up as much of their confidence and ego as possible. They've got to take control; I can't act it out.”

“But a writer's contribution is literary and a film is not literary. When you take that stuff off the page, and cast the people who are going to fit into those roles, that's what being a director is.”

“It was the era of Tab Hunter and Rock Hudson; they all had a certain look.”

“But the process of making a film is not glamorous. Certainly not my films.”

“When I finish a film, I put it away and I never look at it again.”

“My creative partner is a writer, and he's got an executive producing credit on this film. We've made three films together and I would never underestimate the impact of a writer.”

“You'd be surprised how many movie stars still care about the work.”

“But, unfortunately, sometimes that affirmation creates a sense that you deserve special treatment and recognition in areas where you're not so talented.”

“And it's a question of how far we're willing to go in order to let the ego shine, in order to let that beacon penetrate not only the local scene but the world.”

“If people are worried about the size of their trailers, I kind of say their priorities are off.”

“Show business is one of those things that people can use to get themselves out of the lower rung of society.”

“I also know what looks good before the camera, how to move the camera, and how to get a story on the screen.”

“Look at Walter Huston in The Devil and Daniel Webster: It's an incredible performance.”

“I feel very comfortable shooting music, and I think you can see that.”

“It's very clearly stated in the film: You make your own choices, and what you're always fighting is ego.”

“An actor has to embody a role.”

“The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.”