James Ponsoldt

You just work really hard and scrutinize. What is it called in politics? "Opposition research"? You want to do the detective work…

— James Ponsoldt

And I was constantly trying to stay in body, so to speak. It feels very surreal, and I go away to a…

— James Ponsoldt

And don't rush to make movies. Movies should be made when they're absolutely ready. There's too many bad movies being made.

— James Ponsoldt

Making movies is really hard, and it can be humbling. And once you put them out into the world, you can't control…

— James Ponsoldt

I was raised by ex-hippies, but I grew up worshipping a television set. I am skeptical of a lot of things, but…

— James Ponsoldt

Blade Runner's just a noir at the end of the day. Rosemary's Baby is about the fear of having a child and…

— James Ponsoldt

A lot of things, whether it's Brexit, the U.S. election, things that are happening on Facebook Live, the way that Twitter in…

— James Ponsoldt

I don't think in terms of what's going to be successful. I have plenty of friends who make very small movies and…

— James Ponsoldt

I've heard a lot of variation of similar questions, but it's interesting to see the variations of audiences and how different people…

— James Ponsoldt

I think the irony of modern life is that our data, our highly personal information, has been taken from us, but in…

— James Ponsoldt

All the more a cheesy musical seems fake, so it requires a level of honesty to be injected or an acknowledgement of…

— James Ponsoldt

Obviously, this isn't my normal life, traveling to cities and talking to journalists. It's fun. It's really fun. I get to stay…

— James Ponsoldt

With Rodham, for instance, it has to work on an emotional level. It has to work on a character level. If it's…

— James Ponsoldt

This needs to work on that level, but it has the additional strain of it's going to be profoundly scrutinized by political…

— James Ponsoldt

Any work of art dignifies life.

— James Ponsoldt

There have been so many instances in my life where movies, music, or literature has made my life tangibly better.

— James Ponsoldt

Whether a project is large or small, it doesn't matter much to me as long as I feel I can serve the…

— James Ponsoldt

It's hard to look at anything with an objective eye. I think people bring themselves into the equation when they watch a…

— James Ponsoldt

And that first screening was overwhelming. You were there. People applauded when the title card comes in; there's a big "gasp moment"…

— James Ponsoldt

By the time you arrive at Sundance as a filmmaker, you've been living with your film intimiately, and scrutinized every frame, and…

— James Ponsoldt

I think now more than ever there's so much available honesty that you can find on the Internet. You can go on…

— James Ponsoldt

I cannot control what you bring into the theater when you see the film. I can't control what my parents bring in.…

— James Ponsoldt

But you certainly don't have perspective. And there's so much pressure going into that opening night because you know there's journalists, tons…

— James Ponsoldt

I sometimes have to think about that because if I think about these five things and think of them all, I'll drop…

— James Ponsoldt

After that really, I spent the majority of the spring going to tons and tons of regional festivals throughout America. Every corner…

— James Ponsoldt

We live in a time when there are tech companies that have an unprecedented accumulation of power, wealth, and information with basically…

— James Ponsoldt

In many ways, I think I'm a good person for it. I mean, I'm not a musical theater dude. Or rather, I…

— James Ponsoldt

Innovation, sending civilians to outer space, mapping the mind, curing cancer - all these things, they're great. Obviously these same companies are…

— James Ponsoldt

What I think is great about Pippin, specifically, and I wouldn't make this generalization about all musicals, is that it is about…

— James Ponsoldt