“I was offered 'Popeye,' which Robert Altman made. They offered me $2 m...” — Peter Bogdanovich Quote

I was offered 'Popeye,' which Robert Altman made. They offered me $2 million to direct that, which was good money. I wasn't interested in it. I don't like that kind of movie.

'Mask' wasn't the version that I wanted when it was originally released. It made money, but it would have made a lot more money. My version was a lot less depressing - tragic, but a lot less depressing.

Marlon Brando changed everything for actors. After him, everyone wanted to be Marlon. No one wanted to be a type: they all wanted to display versatility in every role.

Comedy is the hardest thing to get right. I remember a joke we did in 'What's Up, Doc?' that didn't get a single laugh. So we moved the shot a foot-and-a-half to one side, and all of a sudden, the laugh was there. It drives you crazy; the balance is so delicate.

Even if you are born with a silver spoon, you have to work hard. I mean, you could be offered films on a platter, but if you don't get up in the morning and learn your lines, it is not going to work.

The movies and the parts I'm being offered are becoming better and better.

In the time between when you first read a script and are offered the role and the time when you begin to shoot, I really love putting in the time and work on that and getting a solid backstory to a character and researching all that I can about what that person does for a vocation or their upbringing or where they're from.

When I'm offered a role, I look at what I think I can do with it. I look to see if I can project myself into it.