121 Quotes by David O. Russell

The great lesson about filmmaking is never take “no” for an answer, especially if you have a lot of passion and inspiration to do something.

I’m always looking for a way to surprise audiences. That’s, I feel, my job as a director. I felt that Amy Adams playing a tough woman in ‘The Fighter’ was a surprise. People saw her as a princess.

The holy trifecta of directing and filmmaking is character emotion, camera movement and music. When you hit those three, that’s magical. That’s what I’m trying to do.

If something – if you have a good rapport then you’re friends and you’re offered projects together or you discover stories together. Jennifer and I discovered this story together, and it was evident to us we would only do it with each other.

That’s the most beautiful thing that I like about boxing: you can take a punch. The biggest thing about taking a punch is your ego reacts and there’s no better spiritual lesson than trying to not pay attention to your ego’s reaction.

There’s always hope. Never give up. Walk slowly and drink lots of water. It ain’t a sprint.

I did a dance sequence in my second short film, which was my best short film, called ‘Hairway to the Stars,’ and I think Chris Wink, the founder of Blue Man Group, was in that. It’s a black-and-white dance sequence. We were Glorious Food waiters together.

It’s easier to control people when they’re afraid.

One of the things I’ve discovered at my age is I must have enchantment. And that was not clear to me in my earlier years. When I look at my favorite films, the Frank Capra – even Scorsese, even ‘Goodfellas,’ what makes that movie so remarkable is there’s enchantment in their world.