Quotes

[discussing casting choices Mel Gibson and Nicolas Cage for Three Kings (1999) before he had signed] Luckily, both those guys were tied and gagged in my apartment, and that was a problem for the casting department.

I don't like to share my personal life... it wouldn't be personal if I shared it.

[on the fact he had nothing to do with the breakup of Julia Roberts and Benjamin Bratt] I was too busy breaking up Tom and Nicole's marriage.

[speaking about the 2003 start to the Iraq war] You can't beat your enemy anymore through wars; instead you create an entire generation of people revenge-seeking. These days it only matters who's in charge. Right now that's us -for a while, at least. Our opponents are going to resort to car bombs and suicide attacks because they have no other way to win. . . . I believe [Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld] thinks this is a war that can be won, but there is no such thing anymore. We can't beat anyone anymore.

It's not about an opening weekend. It's about a career, building a set of films you're proud of. Period.

Ninety percent of films are pretty mediocre, but they have a built-in audience and open on 3,000 screens.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002) bombed. But I can take it. Most of the films I've done haven't done particularly well. I'm surprised I'm continuing to work.

Directing is really exciting. In the end, it's more fun to be the painter than the paint.

I don't believe in happy endings, but I do believe in happy travels, because ultimately...you die at a very young age, or you live long enough to watch your friends die. It's a mean thing, life.

We've been trying to push our involvement within the studio system, sort of push the things that we've learned from foreign and independent films through the '80s and push those things back into the studio system. Like Out of Sight (1998) isn't your standard studio film by any means; Three Kings (1999) wasn't the standard Warner Bros. kind of film.

Directors are the captains of the ship, and it's your job as the lead actor to make sure that the rest of the cast understand that by doing whatever he says.

See, the first thing about actors is, you're just trying to get a job; and you audition and audition and you finally get them. And you still consider yourself an auditioning actor. I auditioned for One Fine Day (1996), I wasn't offered that. So you're still in that 'Hey, I'm just trying to get a job' thing. Then, you get to the point where, if you decide to do it, then they'll make the film. That's a different kind of responsibility, and it usually takes a couple of films to catch up. And then you have to actually pay attention to the kind of films that you're making.

You got to think of things at their worst, not at their best. And Out of Sight (1998) was the first time where I had a say, and it was the first good screenplay that I'd read where I just went, 'That's it.'And even though it didn't do really well box office-wise-we sort of tanked again-it was a really good film. And I realized from that point on that it was strictly screenplay first. And then it becomes easier, because once you eliminate the idea of doing a vehicle. . . believe me, there's nobody who's encouraging us to make these films, not agents, not . . . we're not getting paid for these things, and it's not like we're going to make a mint.

[on making Ocean's Eleven (2001)] It was the easiest shoot ever for any actor, and we all knew it when we were doing it. We were like, it's never going to be better than this. He [director Steven Soderbergh] was in hell because it was a really complicated film to put together. We were like, we're in Las Vegas, we go to work at one in the afternoon, and we gotta be done by six at night. Six hours of work. Steven was editing all night.

I'm a hybrid. I succeed in both worlds. I hope that selling out on Ocean's Eleven (2001) is not such a bad deal. The trade-off is, I get to go make something uncommercial that will probably lose money.

Steven [Steven Soderbergh] and I have a great relationship inside the studio system. We make the kinds of films we want and commercial films at the same time. Steven and I have lost a lot of money. We are way in the hole. But this is not a day job. I've got some cash. I have a nice house in Italy. I do OK.

It's true information is harder to get these days. When I was growing up there were three networks - three news shows, delivering the same information. You took that information into your home and you formed your own opinions. Now we have 130 channels. You go to the channel that plays to your belief pattern. We start with different sets of facts, it's more polarizing.

[on Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)] I'm not a snob, I like entertaining films as well. But when you do a film like this, or like Three Kings (1999) - films that get you in a bit of trouble - it's fun to open up a debate.

[Responding to media reports that he had contemplated suicide following surgery] I think, if you listen to the piece, I certainly did not talk about wanting to kill myself. I was talking about the idea of living for years in that kind of pain. Please don't use my words out of context.

An acting career usually has about a shelf life of ten years before people get sick of seeing you. It's a good thing to have a job to fall back on and I really do enjoy directing.

I doubt anybody gets taken seriously for very long. I'll be on some reality show in about six years going, Hey, I had a great year in 2006.

People thought I was Tom and Nicole's bodyguard. They'd come up and go, "Is it okay if I go up and ask for an autograph?' It was good. I'd charge 'em three bucks a person. Yeah, you gotta make some money off of that.

I'm the flavor of the month.

Run for office? No. I've slept with too many women, I've done too many drugs, and I've been to too many parties.

I know what my limitations are as an actor, but my strength is putting myself into a well-written part. When I get in trouble is when I have to fix it, or when I have to carry it on personality.

Here is my theory in debunking photographs in magazines. You know, the paparazzi photographs. I want to spend every single night for three months going out with a different famous actress. You know, Halle Berry one night, Salma Hayek the next, and then walk on the beach holding hands with Leonardo DiCaprio. People would still buy the magazines, they'd still buy the pictures, but they would always go, 'I don't know if these guys are putting us on or not.'

You never really learn much from hearing yourself talk.

I don't live at full tilt the way I used to. You begin to hate waking up with the kind of hangover you get from going on huge benders with your buddies. Also, since my neck surgeries, I've been forced to take things easier and not beat up my body the way I used to. I'm more cautious.

The idea that every time you do a film you're supposed to be tortured confuses me. I mean, guys who say "Oh, it's really tough, my character is really suffering" - come on. For us, even in the rotten ones, we've had a good time. I don't think you have to suffer.

We're the ones who talked about AIDS when it was just being whispered. And we talked about civil rights when it wasn't really popular. This academy - this group of people - gave Hattie McDaniel an Oscar in 1939 when blacks were still sitting in the backs of theaters. I'm proud to be a part of this academy, proud to be part of this community, and proud to be out of touch.

You can only get so far without discernible talent - then you either work, or use cheap publicity tricks to keep the public's attention. Paris (Hilton) has no reason to complain if she is on the end of bad publicity.

[on what makes a man stylish] For me, a sense of humor is number one. It's certainly what's most attractive. It's not the first thing you notice at 21, but it's the first thing you notice now. If celebrity is a credit card, I'm using my credit. My job is to try and find ways of talking about issues that move us forward. I don't make policy, but I can shine a light on faulty or good policy. The Not On Our Watch launch reached more than 9 million people. We need to focus global attention on the plight of the 2.5 million civilians who have fled their homes. Rather than talk about who I'm dating, let's talk about saving lives.

[on celebrity activism] You don't want to be a spokesperson unless you are absolutely committed to a cause because you can hurt it. I've been asked to help represent environmental groups. I'm a big proponent of cleaning up the environment. I have two electric cars. But I also have a big weak spot because I've flown on private jets. However, I welcome any of these dumb pundits who make celebrities out to be bad guys to a discussion about Darfur. Because I've been there and I've met all the players, and I guarantee you the pundits haven't.

[on who will win the Best Actor Oscar in 2008] If you want my honest opinion, I think it's going to be Daniel Day-Lewis [for There Will Be Blood (2007)]. He sort of irritates all of us because he's so good. I'll tell you right now, I don't like him!

[on films made between 1964 and 1976] It's 12 years and you could find ten films a year that are masterpieces. They don't make those films anymore. You couldn't come near making those films.

Had I not got the Thursday night ten o'clock slot at ER (1994), if they'd put us on Friday night, then I wouldn't have a film career. That's luck, not my own genius, though I like to think it was.

I'm protected as an actor by a really good screenplay, number one; and then a really good director, number two; and then really good actors, number three - but first and foremost a good screenplay. You cannot make a good film out of a bad script. You can make a bad film out of a good script - easily. I've seen that happen before, but you can't do it the other way around; it always has to be the screenplay.

I didn't become really successful until I was in my thirties. I can still remember sitting on the closet floor of my buddy's house, completely broke. My friends would want to go out to dinner, to get a hamburger, and I couldn't afford to go. They had the money to pay, but I didn't want them to pay. That happened a lot. At one point, I remember my buddy Brad loaning me a hundred dollars. He's now running our production company. I'm still paying that debt off, you know?

Here's your options: Live long enough to watch your friends die, or die young. Now, I'm not pessimistic at all. I'm just saying I realize that's true. I don't want to see any of my buddies die, and I don't have any interest in dying young, either. But I had to come to terms with what I'm not going to do.

I never thought Batman & Robin (1997) was going to be a great film. I thought it was a great opportunity for me. And suddenly we're filming. The script isn't together. I'm just miserable in the suit, trying to make scenes work. That's not the way to make a movie. The thing is, it took "Batman & Robin" to get to the point where I am now. When I got in a position to greenlight a picture and get the picture made, I really had to adjust my thinking. Because when you're an actor, you're thinking about getting good roles. You go, "That's a great part!" And you sign on to make the movie. Only now, those movies are being greenlit because you're doing them, and when the reviews come out, you're being held responsible not just for what you did in the film, but for the entire film. From here on in, I realised, it's my responsibility. If I'm going to blow it, if I'm going to bomb, it's going to be on my taste. So I started out doing Out of Sight (1998) and Three Kings (1999) and O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) and making only films I'd go see. Now, that doesn't always end well. Sometimes a movie doesn't work. But the lesson of "Batman & Robin" was a great one.

I'd rather have a rectal examination on live TV by a fellow with cold hands than have a Facebook page!

If the movie makes money, I make money. If I don't, I've still made the movie I wanted to make.

I never wear makeup for movies and now it's starting to show. It's funny, because most male actors work with actresses who are considerably younger. But earlier in my career I was working with a lot of actresses who were my age or older so people always thought I was older anyway; and now I'm going through this thing with people thinking I'm about 60. But I'm kind of comfortable with getting older because it's better than the other option, which is being dead. So I'll take getting older.

[on the paranormal] I'm not a big believer in much of that. Everybody goes through déjà vu and things like that, but I don't really go for that stuff. I find it mostly to be coincidence.

[on his friends keeping him grounded] I've got eight buddies: The Boys. They've been my friends for 20 years. Every Sunday we ride motorcycles and play basketball together. For Christmas this year, the boys came out and there were new bikes sitting out there-new Indians for each of them. The best part of having money is sharing it with your buddies. I lived on their closet floors when I was broke and they had money and were working. They've been through this whole ride with me. So now, when someone comes up to me and says, "You're so brilliant," they look over at me and go, "Man, can you believe that shit?" I met them when I first moved out here, in acting classes. Richard Kind, who's on Spin City (1996), is one of them. When his father died of a heart attack, Richard called and said he was going to Trenton for the funeral. All the boys were immersed in work at that point and had no time, but I called them up and told them what happened. There were no commercial flights available, so I chartered a jet. We didn't tell him we were coming. We sat in the back of the synagogue and Richard was in front with his back to us. When he got up and started to talk about his dad, he saw us and started sobbing. He said, "I'm sorry, but I just saw my best friends back there." There was this amazing feeling that every one of these guys had dropped everything just to be there. That's what it's like. People like that keep you sane. [2000]

The truth is, most actors I know aren't assholes. They often get that reputation because people around them are assholes. The people around you can treat people like shit and pretend they are doing it to protect you. Once, my assistant was rude to someone. I said, "You know, you represent me when you talk to people." So you have to be careful. And that's not to say people don't treat people badly in this business. I once had lunch with a movie producer who was completely dismissive and rude to our waiter, which told me all I needed to know about him. I know that someone like that will be nice to me right now - I'm in a position where he wants to be nice to me, since he needs something from me. But what happens if I'm not in that position anymore? If he treats everyone else dismissively, he'll treat me dismissively. He isn't the type of person you want to work with. [2000]

[n the downside of fame] In Los Angeles, there are a million famous people around, so you are left alone. They see Mel Gibson at the grocery store, so they're not impressed with me. But if you go to any other town and walk into a bar, you can never have a normal experience. Once people have a few drinks, they get brave. All of a sudden, there is a crowd of guys going, "Dude!" and hanging on to me. They want to buy me a drink and sit down and talk. But I've got my friends, see. I don't want a bunch of guys coming over to buy me drinks. The funny part is what I end up doing: I'm polite and I sit and talk to them. I wind up doing the things a girl would do in the same sort of situation at a bar. [2000]

I'm different from a lot of guys. I don't go up to girls I don't know in a bar and ask them to dance. I never have. Never. I've never gone up to somebody I don't know and asked them out. I just won't do it and never did, because I never wanted to take my ego, as fragile as any guy's, and hand it to some girl so that she could demolish it. To me it has always seemed like a stupid thing to do. So in terms of, like, "Hey, you want to go out?" I don't do it. [2000]

[on fame] Here's an example of how it works. I had never been to the Playboy Mansion and really wanted to go. When I finally did, it was for one of the Mansion's pajama parties, where I was hanging out with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jim Carrey. We were all sort of protecting one another; you don't want to seem like you're desperate. I grew up with the magazine, so naturally I wanted to see the Grotto. When I got there, I was cornered by about 15 people, most of them pretty girls. But it's not like you might imagine. Instead, they all wanted to have their picture taken with me. When that happens, it's like you're a cardboard cutout for people to stand next to. It's not like talking to a girl and getting to know her. At the height of it, when there were people pulling at me from every direction and it was at its most embarrassing, some guy comes over and says, "Look at this shit, man! You got it made! Chicks are all over you." Meanwhile, I was thinking how much easier it was before this. Then it was just about being a guy talking to a girl and all the other stuff that's so interesting about dating-that dance you do. You see somebody at a party and lock eyes and eventually get closer and closer to each other. Somehow you find a way to talk and maybe-all that stuff. That's a turn-on. That has been taken away from me. If you were to ask what I miss about the anonymity that I used to have, it's that experience, that slow and natural getting to know someone - that kind of electricity. [2000]

I'm a 39-year-old man. In the way I was raised, this is the time when you make your mark. In your 20s, you figure out what it is you're going to be. You do a lot of different jobs. By your late 20s, you sort of have some idea of what it is. Then you spend your 30s and a lot of your 40s making your mark. You spend your 50s being able to reap the benefits of the work that you've done. [2000]