[reacting to his late wife Eleanor Perry's claim that he refuses to compromise] That's bullshit! My life is one long compromise. I don't quarrel with the tormented part; it's the compromise part I quarrel with. I could never say that I won't compromise-making a movie is one long compromise; it's one horrendous compromise because there's no such thing as perfection. I never would have said that about myself. Torment, yes. Compromise, no.

[on Hollywood] I think it's a fabulous place to work. There was a time when working on location was better because all Hollywood studios found it very difficult to achieve verisimilitude. They wanted a kind of theatrical studio look that was wrong for certain subjects. Now they don't feel that way. Now they're the best in the world.

[on Faye Dunaway] I've been very lucky. I've worked with all the actors I wanted to work with. I adore Faye Dunaway, I love her and feel she's one of the most underrated actresses; I think she's brilliant.

[on Tuesday Weld] She's a complicated lady and a gifted one; she finally does emerge in Play It As It Lays (1972). She's really so good in this, so super, and as far as her behavior is concerned, her comportment, she was just flawless--I mean, just a perfect child. She was there every day, on time, and worked like a tremendous professional. All that talk about her being a terror--not a trace.