Preminger Quotes

On signing, at age 18, a long-term contract with Otto Preminger: It was an archaic system. You were, basically, under the control of one man and his whims. He wasn`t easy and it wasn`t an easy time. He wasn`t a nurturing director and I thought, `Maybe I don`t want to be a film actor, after all.`

(on working with director Otto Preminger on Such Good Friends (1971)) I was warned about him -- but could anybody really be that bad? Yeah, they could. Elaine May wrote a great screenplay. He took a piece of beauty and screwed it up. It was an incredible part and he destroyed it. I have been the victim of some killers in my time. He`s one of the biggest. He`s a horrible man. Phew! But who ever hears of him anymore? Is he still alive?

(on Otto Preminger) O.P. is only happy if everybody else is miserable. Still, if you can keep his paranoia from beating you down, you can learn a lot from the guy.

(on director Frank Perry) I`ve been in so many bad movies and worked with so many bad directors that I go into a film expecting nothing. That`s why I respect and admire Frank Perry so much. He`s a rare man and I`ve worked with enough stiffs to know the difference pal, but he knows the problems of actors and I know the problems of a director. Frank is as far away from Otto Preminger as you can get.

I once asked Otto Preminger if it was possible for someone to be a character actor and a star. He said `No.` I`d like to prove him wrong.