Alexander Payne

The best cinema is about ethics.

— Alexander Payne

I'm hoping one day I can make one really good film.

— Alexander Payne

Acting is a lot easier than people think it is.

— Alexander Payne

“I think cynicism is more enduring than sentimentality.”

— Alexander Payne

What is filmmaking but groping in the dark?

— Alexander Payne

I think cynicism lasts. Sentimentality ages, dates quickly.

— Alexander Payne

I want all of my films to belong to me.

— Alexander Payne

Each one of my movies becomes easier to get off the ground.

— Alexander Payne

I'm attracted to short screenplays. Nobody really wants a film to be over two hours, or at least I don't.

— Alexander Payne

In real life, I myself am kind of a rambling guy. I like to travel.

— Alexander Payne

I still have energy and some degree of youth, which is what a filmmaker needs.

— Alexander Payne

I always wanted 'Sideways' to be like a great 1960s Italian film.

— Alexander Payne

Asked which wine he would drink to celebrate We're having some tequila.

— Alexander Payne

In the moment of making films, I want to share my observations of life, not of other films.

— Alexander Payne

Jesuits encourage an intellectual rigor in a way that I like.

— Alexander Payne

The most heinous shift in American films is that they reinforce good things like 'couples' and 'relationships.'

— Alexander Payne

I get asked, 'How can you have such failures in your films?' Well, what else is life about? There's some sense of…

— Alexander Payne

The better a novel is, in literary terms, the more you can't be faithful. The novel succeeds on terms exclusive to literature.…

— Alexander Payne

What science-fiction premises do is it gives you a "what-if" prism to look at the contemporary world with a wack on the…

— Alexander Payne

When I'm shooting, I don't care who the star is. I have an actor playing a part, and I'm serving the script,…

— Alexander Payne

When you're a houseguest and you leave, it's nice to straighten something up or send your hosts a useful gift. And when…

— Alexander Payne

I like to think of film-making not just as an act of personal self-aggrandisement but rather as an act of public service.

— Alexander Payne

My flag is always flying. My shingle is always out. I'm always looking for movie ideas. The hardest part of this whole…

— Alexander Payne

I'm so not interested in producing, other than doing my own work, producing my own films. I only do it as favors,…

— Alexander Payne

I want studios to be financing director-driven, auteurist cinema, as they did in the '70s. I think it's starting to happen now.…

— Alexander Payne

I don't think so much about verbal comedy. I always think about visual comedy. I was raised watching silents, and I'm always…

— Alexander Payne

My editor and I remain very disciplined. It's just sometimes when you're making a film, you get into the cutting room and…

— Alexander Payne

I'm considered to some degree a successful director working in Hollywood, making films my way but using studio financing. But with almost…

— Alexander Payne

Were "A Clockwork Orange" or "Blue Velvet" released today, would they have the same power to shock that they had when they…

— Alexander Payne

I make comedies and I always try... I don't try but I allow to have at least 5% of the jokes or…

— Alexander Payne

I always think about visual comedy. I was raised watching silents, and I'm always thinking about how to make cinema, not good…

— Alexander Payne

A book is a book, but a movie is a movie. The more faithful you are, the more you'll come up with…

— Alexander Payne

I don't think so much about verbal comedy. I always think about visual comedy. I was raised watching silents, and I'm always…

— Alexander Payne

I read reviews of critics I respect and feel I can learn something from. Right now there are a lot of bottom-feeder…

— Alexander Payne

All three parts of filmmaking [writing, shooting, editing] contribute to rhytm. You want the script to be a tight as possible, you…

— Alexander Payne

Independent means one thing to me: It means that regardless of the source of financing, the director's voice is extremely present. It's…

— Alexander Payne

I could never be a part of an adaptation of a film where there's pressure to not disappoint the immense fan base.…

— Alexander Payne

You just never know when you're living in a golden age.

— Alexander Payne

Omaha, like Rome, is built on seven hills.

— Alexander Payne

Life mixes tones all the time.

— Alexander Payne