I became quite successful very young, and it was mainly because I was so enthusiastic and I just worked so hard at it.
I was the kind of kid that had some talents or ability, but it never came out in school.
I think cinema, movies, and magic have always been closely associated. The very earliest people who made film were magicians.
I remember growing up with television, from the time it was just a test pattern, with maybe a little bit of programming once in a while.
I liked to work in a shop down in the basement and invent things and build gadgets.
I landed a job with Roger Corman. The job was to write the English dialogue for a Russian science fiction picture. I didn't speak any Russian. He didn't care whether I could understand what they were saying; he wanted me to make up dialogue.
I had been a kid that moved so much, I didn't have a lot of friends. Theater really represented camaraderie.
I had an older brother who was very interested in literature, so I had an early exposure to literature, and and theater. My father sometimes would work in musical comedies.
I had a number of very strong personalities in my family. My father was a concert flutist, the solo flute for Toscanini.
I had a number of teachers who hated me. I didn't do well in school.
I wrote the script of Patton. I had this very bizarre opening where he stands up in front of an American flag and gives this speech. Ultimately, I was fired. When the script was done, they hired another writer and that script was forgotten.
I don't think there's any artist of any value who doesn't doubt what they're doing.
I thought I wanted to be a playwright because I was interested in stories and telling stories.
I associate my motion picture career more with being unhappy and scared, or being under the gun, than with anything pleasant.
I always found the film world unpleasant. It's all about the schedule, and never really flew for me.