I’m not afraid of a big studio film; I trust my instincts. But for me, it’s not really about box office. It’s about looking back on your work and not having to apologize for it. F. Gary Gray Read Quote
I know a lot of people who enjoy rap music who aren’t black. You can’t just say it’s black music. To segregate films the way Hollywood likes to segregate films, ultimately everyone loses. F. Gary Gray Read Quote
Why did I want to become a director? I just had an early interest. My uncle was an actor in a local community theatre, and he ultimately persuaded me and a buddy of mine to come to that theatre, and we went to meet girls, and that turned into interested in kind of behind-the-scenes things, and from that point on, I was focused. F. Gary Gray Read Quote
Most of music videos were short films – they had dialogue, action sequences. I shot with cranes and helicopters. I wanted to created cinema-like moments. F. Gary Gray Read Quote
I never limit myself when it comes to telling stories; I think people can see that in my body of work. It’s just about, ‘What’s a great story? Is it unique? Is it a challenge?’ F. Gary Gray Read Quote
When you look at someone good like J.J. Abrams who gives you the spectacle and great action set pieces but also gives you character and great story and plotting and narrative, I think it’s my job – and my intention – to do both. F. Gary Gray Read Quote
When you start directing movies at the age of 24, you’re just a kid; you don’t necessarily even have the experiences to add to the story. You’re working off of instinct and raw emotions and raw talent, and hopefully it’s the same trajectory as growing as a person. F. Gary Gray Read Quote
If I were to do a movie about Apollo 13, I’d be at NASA studying what it took to go into space. It’s part of your job to go deep, to interview the right people. F. Gary Gray Read Quote
We didn’t have much money growing up, so we hopped around L.A. a lot in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. I’m very familiar with the shifting culture there. F. Gary Gray Read Quote
