Curtis Hanson

Birthday: 24 March 1945, Reno, Nevada, USA

Birth Name: Curtis Lee Hanson

Height: 185 cm

After small films like The Bedroom Window (1987) and Sweet Kill (1972), Curtis Hanson went on to direct major features including The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), The River Wild (1994) and the Academy Award-winning L.A. Confidential (1997). Setting his sights on another city, Hanson was critically acclaimed for directing Eminem in Universal Pi... Show more »

All directors are egomaniacs.

Unlike the studio days, where [directors were] under contract, there's no vested interest in filmmak...Show more »

Unlike the studio days, where [directors were] under contract, there's no vested interest in filmmakers today, so it's one picture at a time. Nobody cares about the longevity of a director's career today. What they care about is making a successful movie. Consequently, if somebody does something that's successful, they then throw a lot of money and opportunity at them to try and duplicate it. You get into a situation where people are in a sense trying to duplicate what they did well, but usually to diminishing returns. Show less «

I like the movie to be about the movie and to allow people to think about the movie the way I always...Show more »

I like the movie to be about the movie and to allow people to think about the movie the way I always thought about movies I watched and admired. I'm old enough that I grew up before there was so much talk by directors and about directors. It was left more to the viewer. The thought of my voice running along while people are watching the movie silently, that doesn't appeal to me. When they're watching the movie I want them to watch the movie, not be distracted listening to me or other people. Show less «

[after receiving the Best Screenplay Oscar from Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon] Being given this Awa...Show more »

[after receiving the Best Screenplay Oscar from Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon] Being given this Award by two actors I will always associate with Billy Wilder makes it all the sweeter. Show less «

For me, all good stories are about awareness. Self-awareness and lack of it, of how you get there an...Show more »

For me, all good stories are about awareness. Self-awareness and lack of it, of how you get there and how you might fail to get there. Even Don Siegel's Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) is about that to a degree. People discover who they are and what they're all about by meeting their doppelgängers. I have deliberately tried to mix it up in my movies, because I enjoy visiting different worlds. However, thematically, I find that things keep coming up. Self-examination to begin with. You know, who am I, how did I get here and how do I become a better version of myself. Self-destructiveness, because that is the beginning or negation of self-examination. Show less «

Sure I believe people can change, and change for the better. I mean if you don't believe that then w...Show more »

Sure I believe people can change, and change for the better. I mean if you don't believe that then what are you left with? It's literally the same old, the same old. People can and do change, often for the better. Things change. If I didn't believe in that I wouldn't see the point. In any of it. Show less «