I grew up in Arkansas, and I went to Little Rock Central High, which was the site of a desegregation crisis in '57. I graduated in '97. Jeff Nichols More Quotes by Jeff Nichols More Quotes From Jeff Nichols Your whole life is changed with that first child. Your social behaviors are all turned upside down, you're sleep deprived, but eight months in, my son had this seizure, and it just woke me up to the idea that, oh, no, this can end. And it can end in a way that will destroy you forever. Jeff Nichols me you life son It takes people being alone in front of the computer at three in the morning to write opinions about movies, apparently. Jeff Nichols alone being-alone morning people We have a problem with dealing with race in our country. We have a problem with dealing with marriage equality and equality in general. These are complex, divisive issues in our society, and I think that the only way we further this conversation is to take them down to a very human scale. Jeff Nichols equality marriage society way Nature is the purest thing we can touch and observe. It can be the most beautiful and also the most devastating. Jeff Nichols most-beautiful touch nature beautiful The films that have influenced me most are: 'The Hustler', 'Badlands', 'Hud', 'Tender Mercies', 'Cool Hand Luke', 'A Perfect World', and 'Laurence of Arabia'. I also really like 'Fletch'. I feel like all of these films reached an honest place in regard to the human condition while also stringing together really entertaining stories. Jeff Nichols cool me together world I've been just unsuccessful enough not to have been given a big opportunity too soon. Jeff Nichols big just enough opportunity Sometimes as writers, we try and put narrative development above character development. We try to move our characters around like chess pieces that do our bidding. The problem with that is sometimes the characters do things they shouldn't do. Things that are inorganic. Jeff Nichols try problem sometimes character If I can drive down the road in my car and listen to XM satellite, and when a song gets beamed into my car, it can tell me who wrote the song and what the damn lyrics are, why, when you broadcast a digital signal of a film, can't it speak to your television to set up a list of settings to show the film in the way that it was meant to be shown? Jeff Nichols me you car song I've been really lucky when it comes to casting kids, and I don't particularly like child actors. Too often, they just show up, and they've had whatever real innocence that's in a child just beaten out of them. They start to perform for you, and you can just see it coming. It's no good. Jeff Nichols start good child you I'm really calculating when it comes to these scripts - I'm really calculated about character behavior and dialogue. Jeff Nichols about dialogue behavior character It's amazing how far you can get into a plot before you figure out what you're doing. Jeff Nichols amazing doing how you I was always interested in creative writing growing up. From junior high on, I was writing short stories. I also grew up watching movies. My father would take me to everything. Most weeks, I could open the paper having seen every movie listed. Jeff Nichols short movies me father I think Warner Bros. are probably some of the best people in marketing films in the world. Jeff Nichols best think people world I first read 'Tom Sawyer' when I was in 8th grade, 13 years old. I realised since that Mark Twain just bottled what it felt like to be a child. Jeff Nichols old just child like I can talk to execs very clearly, very plainly. I don't get nervous in front of them anymore. Jeff Nichols talk get nervous i-can There's one right place to put the camera. I'm a big believer in that. You'd think you could put it anywhere. Nope. Jeff Nichols camera place think you I never wanted to make movies just for me. I want to make movies that people watch. Jeff Nichols movies never me people I'll say this: I think from a directing standpoint, 'Loving' is my most accomplished film. Strictly from a technical, directing point of view. Jeff Nichols loving say view think I think when you're talking about marriage equality and race, people very quickly start to get into their political corners: their ideology comes to the forefront, and they get into this platform argument that they're used to making, which really doesn't have anything to do with the day-to-day basics of what is being talked about. Jeff Nichols you equality marriage people I thought 'Mud' would be such an easy film for people to understand. Jeff Nichols thought understand easy people