Schlesinger Quotes

(on working as a teen-age extra in Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)) I was just a local kid. I got to come out of the church, the same church where I sang in the choir, and scratch up a row of cars - a Jag, a Bentley - parked in front. I thought, I get paid for this! Years later, I saw the director, John Schlesinger, at the Edinburgh festival, where we were showing My Beautiful Laundrette (1985). I play a hooligan punk in that too. I said to Schlesinger, `I guess I haven`t progressed much.`

Oscar-winning director John Schlesinger envisioned a cast of Al Pacino, Julie Christie and Laurence Olivier for "Marathon Man" (1976). Pacino has said that the only actress he had ever wanted to work with was Christie, who he claimed was "the most poetic of actresses." Producer Robert Evans, who disparaged the vertically challenged Pacino as "The Midget" when Francis Ford Coppola wanted him for The Godfather (1972) and had thought of firing him during the early shooting of the now-classic film, vetoed Pacino for the lead. Instead, Evans insisted on the casting of the even-shorter Dustin Hoffman! On her part, Christie -- who was notoriously finicky about accepting parts, even in prestigious, sure-fire material -- turned down the female lead, which was then taken by Marthe Keller (who, ironically, became Pacino`s lover after co-starring with him in Bobby Deerfield (1977)). Of his dream cast, Schlesinger only got Olivier, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

John Schlesinger had one of his friends designing it and he had never done a film before. Ten days before it started, they didn`t have any costumes. I was rung up and joined up.

(Until about 25 years ago, staffers` memoirs were respectful of the man in the Oval Office.) These people were proud to serve their great men, ... Kennedy`s men -- (Ted) Sorensen, (Arthur) Schlesinger -- they loved him. They weren`t about to betray him.