Weinstein Quotes

I never know what my next move will be in Hollywood. It`s such an unpredictable town. People get jaded and lost and I`ve been able to stay a float. I think the next logical step in my career would be to start my own filmmaking empire like (Harvey Weinstein) and (Bob Weinstein) did so many years ago. I think if only the unions weren`t so strict in Boston, I`d set up shop there and make films of a certain quality you don`t see represented these days. I`m full of ideas and dreams.

(On turning down the chance to play Richard Gere`s character in the Harvey Weinstein-produced film Chicago) "I thought I was too young for the role. You have some 34-year-old guy up against Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellweger and it becomes a different movie. At one point, Harvey was telling me they were thinking of Kevin Spacey, and I told him, `That`s exactly right. You should hire him.` Then I was in New York when the movie opened and the queue was around the block. I sat down and thought that I had probably made the biggest mistake. But I still honestly think that it was the right thing to do. I still think I was too young for that part."

On meeting producer Harvey Weinstein for the first time at the 2005 Time Magazine`s 100 Most Influential People: "He is a big fan of Indian films. He has seen Devdas (2002/I), and said he respected my work. It`s a big compliment coming from somebody who has such an immense body of work and yet is so humble from him? He discussed a few ideas and scripts with me. He is starting his own company. We are discussing projects. Time will tell all."

Why do I need final cut? Final cut is for artistes quote unquote--directors whose movies don`t make a lot of money. Maybe Scorsese should have final cut because a guy like Harvey Weinstein or a studio might change it to make it a little more accessible or a little more commercial and he has a vision of what he wants it to be. He wants it to be four hours long or whatever.

The thing that`s great about those guys at Miramax is the Weinstein brothers. They are the two funniest guys I`ve ever met in my life.

They say now in America that final cut doesn`t mean anything. As Harvey Weinstein said to some film-maker, `You can have final cut. I`ll open your film in Arkansas.`

One of the things I like enormously about Bob Weinstein is that that he`s the only studio head I have ever known who will change his mind and say he was wrong.

Harvey Weinstein liked "City of God" from the beginning. He didn`t want to change anything. When the film`s release was done, he called me to say, "This film deserves more than it got, and we`re going to spend money and do a campaign, and we`re gonna get nominations." From the business side, it was a bad experience, but I would do it again. I don`t think I signed a good contract. I didn`t really believe in the film. It was a low-budget Brazilian film in Portuguese -- what can a film like this do? Harvey liked the film more than I did. They paid exactly what was on the contract.

Meet them once and you`re innocent; meet them twice and you`re not. So if you see me having drinks again with Harvey Weinstein then, okay, you`ve got me.

`The Libertine` is being distributed by the Weinstein Co.,

In the first half they did a great job containing us and we made a couple adjustments at halftime. We would get the quarterback (going) and get Weinstein outside a little bit and that kind of helped us.