It never occurred to me to be a film director, partly because I hadn't seen a single film by a female director, but I liked the idea of being a writer moving to Hollywood and being unhappy; that sounded romantic and fabulous to me. Mary Harron More Quotes by Mary Harron More Quotes From Mary Harron Punk rock, when I was a part of it, was called 'the underground.' There was something very attractive in all the hidden places, the hidden histories. Mary Harron punk-rock punk rocks I don't think there is any one route to directing.... Other than that I think you just have to think 'By any means possible' and take any job you can that will get you experience. I also did a lot for free. I got paid virtually nothing for my first film, but it changed my life. Mary Harron jobs mean thinking I really dislike it when women reject feminism; that's ridiculous. I am a product of feminism. Without feminism I would not be making films. Mary Harron feminism ridiculous film I'm not trying to make the world a better place. Mary Harron better-place trying world One thing I'm not is a moralistic filmmaker. I'm not trying to tell people what to do, and I'm not trying to lead. Mary Harron filmmaker trying people Mostly I'm just not American. I spent four years of my childhood here, but I think if you're Canadian you have a very different perspective. You don't think you're at the center of things. Mary Harron perspective years thinking In my early thirties I was working in television as a researcher. I was really stuck for a period of five years. I got to TV when I was thirty. I hated being a music writer, and kept wondering why I couldn't be doing the exciting things that my friends were doing in television. Mary Harron tvs television years I make unpopular versions of popular things. I make a horror film and it's not a horror film. None of my genre movies function as genre movies. Mary Harron genre horror film It's interesting that gay men and young women have been the twin engines of the Bettie [Page] cult. Mary Harron gay men interesting It's hard when your first thing is something everyone loves. Actually, that never happened to me. I was lucky that my first film, which is actually the best reviewed of all my films, didn't have that success. Mary Harron love-actually lucky firsts At any age you can start over. You have to drop the idea of where you should be in your career. And you have to do without a lot of love. Not everyone's going to love you. Mary Harron careers love-you ideas My films have elements of genre in them, which prevents them from being purely art films. Mary Harron elements film art I think morale is the hardest part, not comparing yourself to someone else. I think everyone compares themselves to someone more successful than they are. Everyone does it. You have to embrace your own rocky path. Mary Harron successful doe thinking Someone can be mentally ill, but if they are young and beautiful and their life is going well, people don't notice because at that point the cracks are almost imperceptible. Mary Harron cracks beautiful people Some actors can draw from their own darkness. Mary Harron draws actors darkness Americans always think they have to lead. I'm interested in ambiguity. Mary Harron ambiguity thinking I was lucky with my first film because it had Warhol in it. That was the selling point. Mary Harron film lucky firsts There was a lot of anger among critics that I had not made a sexy movie. Mary Harron sexy critics made When people see the conventions, they think they're going to get the straightforward genre - I don't give them that and they get mad. People see that and they think I don't understand the conventions because I'm not a good filmmaker. Mary Harron giving people thinking People make films about all kinds of relationships, but they won't do these extremely intense platonic love affairs that happen between young girls. In a way they are more intense than anything else you ever have, and that's what I wanted to make a film about, though it was in the context of a horror film. Mary Harron girl people way
