'The Color Purple' is the kind of character piece that a director like Sidney Lumet could do brilliantly with one hand tied behind his back.

When I grow up, I still want to be a director.

Fathering is a major job, but I need both things in my life: my job to be a director, and my kids to direct me.

Casting sometimes is fate and destiny more than skill and talent, from a director's point of view.

I think one of the worst things that happened to me was, you know, my voluntary fallout with my father. And then the greatest thing that happened to me was when I saw the light, and realized I needed to love him in a way that he could love me back.

The only thing that gets me back to directing is good scripts.