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" I have a lot of friends with bad taste in music - some might say that I have bad taste in music. "
Jonathan Levine
Say
Some
Taste
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" I was intimidated by Malkovich for, like, a couple of days, and then I wasn't. He's awesome. He's so cool. He was so wonderful to work with. "
Jonathan Levine
Awesome
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Work
" In rehearsals, I like to create an honest environment that is kinda free and fun. "
Jonathan Levine
Free
Honest
Create
" Do I wish I was Martin Scorsese? Yeah. But am I really proud of the movies I've made and really happy that I get to keep making them? Yes. "
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Proud
Happy
I Wish
" I've had a couple of family members deal with cancer, and I remember that moment where they're going into surgery, and you just have no idea what's going to happen, and it's really scary. "
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Moment
Scary
You
" For whatever reason, the films I gravitate towards do have these strange sort of tonal balances to them... I kind of realized on '50/ 50' why I liked these blending of tones, because I think it's kind of what life is like: funny one minute, sad the next, scary the next. "
Jonathan Levine
Strange
Think
Sad
" I like to branch out as much as I can, but I feel like the movies that are closest to my heart are 'The Wackness' and '50/50' - the ones that are dramedies that have that human element to them. "
Jonathan Levine
I Can
Like
Movies
" 'Warm Bodies' was a more long-term thing; I had to write the script, who knew if it was every really going to happen, if I'd find the right actors, and so on, so I grabbed '50/50' because I just fell in love with it. "
Jonathan Levine
Find
Going
Warm
" As I continue to evolve as a filmmaker, I'm going to continue to do different stuff. "
Jonathan Levine
Going
Different
Evolve
" To me, using music is creating a shorthand with an audience. And I love music so much. "
Jonathan Levine
Love
Me
Music
" For me, the best high school movie is, like, 'Fast Times' and what Cameron Crowe is like. "
Jonathan Levine
Fast
School
Me
" I have about 100 gigs of music, and I'm always going through thinking about what song I can match to a scene and all that. "
Jonathan Levine
Song
Thinking
Music
" For me, it's always more interesting to look at things when you don't really have a horse in the race, so to speak. "
Jonathan Levine
Me
Look
Speak
" Right after 'The Wackness' came out, it was a really exciting time, and then it was a bit disappointing when it came out. Even though not that many people saw it, I was still getting offered some movies. I was thinking that people would just stop calling me since it didn't do very well at the box office. "
Jonathan Levine
Me
Movies
People
" I learned some big lessons on my first film, a horror film which was never released in the U.S., even though we sold it to Harvey Weinstein for a lot of money. "
Jonathan Levine
Never
Big
Film
" I always look at myself as kind of a work in progress. I hope that's not always the case. But for me, every film is a learning experience. "
Jonathan Levine
Learning
Work
Myself
" I kind of viewed '50/ 50' and 'Warm Bodies' both as my next films after 'The Wackness.' In my head, I was just like, 'I'll try the big, fun, adventure-weird movie, and I'll do the small, heartfelt comedy-drama, and one of them will probably work out, and I'll get to work more.' "
Jonathan Levine
Head
Small
Try
" Any time I hear certain songs I put in a movie, I have to not listen to them anymore because I associate them with that movie. They take on that association rather than the association I had when I first heard them. So it's kinda bittersweet to put a song in a movie, honestly. "
Jonathan Levine
Time
Song
Listen
" I used to drive a convertible around L.A. a lot. "
Jonathan Levine
Around
Drive
Lot
" I have a cameo in every movie. In '50/50,' I'm in the back of the bus. "
Jonathan Levine
Bus
Movie
Back
" I feel like comedy is where I'm most at ease, but I also have an allergy to silly jokes. "
Jonathan Levine
Like
Silly
Jokes
" There's so often - in filmmaking, you're backed into something that already has these set parameters, whether it's a sequel or a book that people love. "
Jonathan Levine
Love
Set
Book
" If you know how to shoot a scene, then you know how to shoot an action scene. If you've seen an action movie, and you watched it, and you paid attention to how scenes are constructed and where the camera is and how the camera moves, then you know how to do it. "
Jonathan Levine
Action
You
Know
" There are things that I can tell my friends that I just can't tell my family, just as far as how I'm feeling about things. My friends know me the best in a certain way. I just think old friends are really, really important. "
Jonathan Levine
Old Friends
Me
Family
" I grew up with Woody Allen and early Spike Lee movies in which New York was such a specific character. The city has a certain vibe and beat which really informs your entire existence. "
Jonathan Levine
Early
City
New York
" For me, I just value my friendships so much. I mean, I love my family, too, but my friends - I have a really special connection with my friends. "
Jonathan Levine
Family
Value
Mean
" To be a director, you have to think you're the best. Ever since I went to film school, I imagined that you have to think deep down that you want to be Martin Scorsese or you want to be P.T. Anderson. Like, am I as good as those guys? Absolutely not. I feel like I keep learning, and I feel like I keep getting better. "
Jonathan Levine
Deep
Good
You
" That's the great thing about being a director. You have your list of things you have to worry about and things you don't have to worry about. If you can hire someone or cast someone who equates to not having to worry about, it's great! "
Jonathan Levine
Great
Worry
You
" As a director, there's no natural career progression. So after 'The Wackness,' which was very personal to me, I was very, very picky about what I was going to do next, to the point where I think that I was almost too picky. "
Jonathan Levine
Career
Think
Personal
" 'Warm Bodies' - I was contractually obligated to deliver a PG-13 movie. But, like, I wanted it to be PG-13 because it's for younger people, and I don't want them not to be able to see it. I mean, you have to kind of think about the marketplace as well. "
Jonathan Levine
People
You
Want
" I just think a lot of movies are too long. I want to know how to make my movie as tight as possible. "
Jonathan Levine
Know
Long
Movies