Billy Wilder once told me, 'Make 'em personal,' ... 'But make 'em for the people.'

Any story that Billy Wilder told, you can tell in a Western.

Claire literally saves his life. And to me there's no better story to tell than how someone can process a knock. A hero is someone who turns their disappointment into a greater opportunity. This woman helps him on the path.

I'm proudest of the fact that I've been able to make a few movies in the studio system that are slightly unorthodox and personal. But it's never quite as easy as you dream that it could be.

The whimsical side of my dad really comes through in this movie.

It's more like can I build a group of characters and can I tell some universal truths that feel real and aren't formulaic in the spirit of filmmakers gone by who've told American stories that were personal and universal as well.