It turns out that good actors can make anything believable. Paul Haggis More Quotes by Paul Haggis More Quotes From Paul Haggis When I started to allow the characters to go where they wanted to go, I just had to follow. Paul Haggis wanted character I try not to think of actors as I'm writing because I think you do them a disservice by writing for things they've already done. Paul Haggis writing trying thinking We are manipulated by fear and the fear of others, and how we're often manipulated into doing things and voting in ways that are against our own best interest. Look at healthcare. People will tell you that healthcare is socialism and communism, and they're doing this while their wife needs an operation and their kid needs braces. Paul Haggis wife kids people You'd be surprised how many writers, or how many actors, if they miss a paycheck or two, they've got nothing. As a writer or an actor you can have four or five jobs in one year and then have none for two years. Paul Haggis jobs two years It takes me awhile to find something that I'm passionate about. I'm reading a lot and thinking a lot, and torturing myself a lot because I'm feeling really guilty for not writing something today. Paul Haggis reading writing thinking I just love actors, and I've always loved actors. I empathize with their job. Everyone thinks it's easy, and it ain't. To be that vulnerable and brave on camera is tough. Paul Haggis brave jobs thinking I wanted to do a political film that is as nonpartisan as can be, because I wanted to do a story that was American. I wanted to tell an American tragedy. Paul Haggis political tragedy stories I just always try to find an interesting story and tell it well. That's a hard enough thing to do, whether it's a piece of fiction or it's a small piece of reality. I just look for good story. Paul Haggis trying reality interesting Independent films are very hard to get made, but I'm lucky enough to get them made, so I'm going to keep doing it. I like my independence. I like being able to tell a story the way I want to tell a story. I don't like developing it with a team. I like coming to a story and deciding whether I want to do it or not. Paul Haggis independence independent team We never did just one take. Multiple takes. Many. I did a bunch. Sometimes I do one take. Sometimes I did 20. Paul Haggis multiple bunch sometimes As soon as you think you know Clint Eastwood, you don't know Clint Eastwood. Paul Haggis you-think-you-know knows thinking What happens when these young men and women come home so scarred and so wounded? We are ignoring that fact. We're just shoving them under the carpet. Paul Haggis home men facts I really wanted to make a nonpolitical political film. I wanted something that folks in red states and blue states could look at and not ask if this is the right thing to do to be in this war, but what this war is doing to the fabric of our society. Paul Haggis political blue war If you make a film and then two and a half, three years later, suddenly the country's changed and you look like you just happened to hit it. I actually like being contrarian. I would have preferred to come out three years ago when everyone was disagreeing with me. But hopefully it asks a lot of questions about our responsibility in sending young men and women to war, especially a war that's so complex, where there's no right answer, where they're forced with impossible decisions every day. Paul Haggis responsibility war country I optioned the magazine article. That was end of 2003. It was a time when the war was incredibly popular here and everyone was driving around with flags on their car, if you remember not too long ago. Paul Haggis long-ago car war Walk through Santa Monica and try to find somebody who knows a young man or woman who's in this war. Here, war is an intellectual concept. If you lose your son or daughter, it's no longer an intellectual matter. Paul Haggis daughter war son Every 10 years, I know less about love and relationships. The smarter I get, the less I know. Paul Haggis love-and-relationship knows years The wrong one will start saying things like "withdraw with honor." We've heard phrases like that before, and they led to thousands and thousands of deaths. Democrats always want to look tough. Paul Haggis phrases honor looks This is our fault. My fault as much as the next man's, because even if I was against the war, I didn't do enough to stop it. Paul Haggis next men war We think we know what's right. With excessive pride comes blindness. Paul Haggis blindness pride thinking
