Quotes

I've always wanted to call the shots because I would rather fail than not have a chance to figure it out on my own. I'm a very lazy person by nature. I have to be really engaged, and then I go straight from lazy to obsessive. I couldn't study chemistry, but I could memorize all the books for Dungeons and Dragons. It was ridiculous. The trick is to find what I like to do.

I wanted to do a Christmas movie. I had been offered Surviving Christmas (2004), and I opted not to pursue that one any further. And then Elf (2003) came along and I thought it really plays into my sensibilities. I thought the one thing about Will Ferrell that I had not seen him do a lot was show his heart as a person and a performer. In developing the script, although it was edgy and irreverent at times, I wanted to keep it a PG movie, not a PG-13 movie that made fun of Christmas.

(On directing Mickey Rourke): There was a maze of things that had to be worked through, but it was usually because I was not accurate enough in what I was asking for. To simply say to an actor like Mickey Rourke, ''Stand there and say what's in this comic-book movie,'' is not going work. That ain't why you hire Mickey Rourke.

(on briefly working in banking): I gave two weeks' notice a week before Black Monday. But it was very strange because I thought I would be working on Wall Street my whole life. It was the go-go '80s; there were yellow ties. It was just an exciting moment. And although I wasn't involved in the trading side of things, I was still around that culture, and I ultimately decided it just wasn't for me. As a matter of fact, I wanted to be a New York City firefighter. I didn't make it in, though.

[on his film Chef (2014)] It was nice to work on a little movie like this again, where I have so many responsibilities between writing and directing and acting, and you live and die by your own talents. I missed the feeling of doing something small and personal, where I wouldn't have to explain my vision to anyone but the people I was collaborating with.

[on which techniques he has avoided as a director]: I don't "handle" people. It's so much easier to manipulate actors than to really have an earnest discussion with them. It's very easy to say whatever's going to appease them and then tum around and do whatever you want to do. It's difficult to be forthright with people, because the job does not lend itself to that. But I know that, as an actor, I appreciate it so much and I feel so much commitment to a director that's up-front with me. The trick is to create a stillness amidst the chaos, to be really able to discuss and discover what the scene is. Joel Schumacher used to do a thing where he always would tum to the actor when he was done and say, "Do you want to try another one for you?" He always found the time for anybody to do that, and I do that too. I learned that from him. I think it's all about making the actors understand that you are dialed-in to them. On Zathura I was working with two stars who were seven and twelve, and I really would discuss things like intention, subtext within the scene, overall arc during the movie... I just think it's a good part of the process.