THR's Directors Roundtable interview

The Hollywood Reporter continues with its excellent series of Roundtable Interviews with a group discussion with directors. The helmers they gathered were Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained), David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook), Gus Van Sant (Promised Land), Tom Hooper (Les Miserables), Ang Lee (Life of Pi) and Ben Affleck (Argo).

Topics discussed include tough moments, working with others, fears of failure, film vs. digital, temper tantrums, interaction with fans, and leaving the business.

Tarantino discusses cutting down his own work in the editing process. "When you're cutting it down, at that moment in time, before you watch it with an audience, you know it's too long, but you can't imagine taking anything out. So then you watch it with an audience, and then all of a sudden -- 'Oh, wow, that is kind of boring now!' or 'No, this is not as suspenseful by the time we got to it as it needs to be.' But you can only go so far in the Avid room on your own. At some point, you have to watch it with an audience. And then literally 15 minutes just come flying out, where before you couldn't imagine a minute leaving."

Ang Lee discusses the difficulty of firing someone who is a close collaborator. "Once I had to replace a composer. I won't tell you which film, but that hurts. I have hits, I have not-so-hits. But I was always proud of them, proud of everybody's work on them. But something like that happens -- I felt defeated, choosing between a good person, a loyal person, a good artist, but something's not clicking."

Actors/Executives Roundtable interviews
Writers Roundtable interview
Actresses Roundtable interview