Quote collection
130 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"This film [Chi-Raq]is a declaration. It's a scream. It's a warning. And I can really break it down to one scene. That's the scene where we have the eulogy and sermon that is given by the great John Cusack."
"Do the Right Thing' was my first union film. I looked at the rosters, and for the most part, it was white males. Especially the Teamsters. So we had some conversations."
"I used the principles of Kickstarter to make 'She's Gotta Have It.' We filmed that in 1985 to 1986. The final cost was $175,000. I didn't have that money. It was friends, grants, donations. We saved our bottles for the nickel deposit."
"If you have a talented family, you should be shot if you don't use them."
"I'm surprised that Hollywood and networks have not been diverse as other industries."
"I like people to look like they're floating."
"He revolutionized music videos. Before Michael Jackson, MTV refused to play African-American artists."
"I don't see any negativity with what Brad Pitt is doing with his Make It Right Foundation, or what Sean Penn is trying to do in Haiti."
"Right now a lot of people are still choosing to go to Toronto instead of shooting in New York City, something I haven't done and something I hope I'll never have to do."
"'Do the Right Thing' was like the first film where I really felt comfortable working with actors."
"I don't think I'm a total pessimist, so I think you can find hope in all my films."
"I respect the audience's intelligence a lot, and that's why I don't try to go for the lowest common denominator."
"A woman who is very secure in herself, what she's about, what she wants to do, who probably figures that she's a prize catch-sooner or later he's going to come around."
"I consider Madonna a friend, and she sure knows how to work the publicity machine. Of course, I don't have breasts. If I did have, I'd be in the number one spot over Madonna."
"I don't like acting; not in front of the camera."
"First of all, what in this world does not revolve around money? But money is a big part of film, unlike a lot of other art forms."
"I don't dictate, you don't dictate to Stevie Wonder, not successfully."
"I get offered to do stuff where the money's nice but it's not something I want to do - I get offered a lot of commercials too."
"Everything I do is always scrutinised. But that's all I'll say about that."
"Amongst black people, you have always heard it said that once a black man reaches a certain level, especially if you are an entertainer, you get a white trophy woman. I didn't make that up."