Top 12 Quotes & Sayings by Jon Turteltaub

It's an ongoing process, in the script, on the set and in the editing room, to make sure you are being true to the emotion of the film without turning it into a melodrama, and making sure you're getting all the laughs you can without it turning into just some stupid comedy.

You're often trying to fix a script by shooting it.

Magic has a spiritual element, and is considered very important and of value, and magicians have always been a little bit silly, so if you're going to portray a modern day magician, there's gotta be a little silliness.

What's great is when you're shooting at the same hotel you're living in, you finish shooting, put your stuff down, take an elevator and go to bed.

Most of the guys like sticking to the script and doing just what's written. If they're exploring, they're exploring ways of doing the script.

We always feel safest, I think, around the most dangerous person who's on your side, more than the nice good person who's on your side.

It's so much harder to recreate something than it is to shoot at the actual place. It's not without its problems. You've got a lot of bystanders and security issues, but it's always a lot easier and a lot more fun to shoot at the actual location.

We love the quality in a person, who can see themselves clearly and isn't ashamed of who they are.

You're just always looking for something new. That's why a lot of people bounce between TV and movies. You have the ability to try something else.

What you realize is that a lot of actors want to be directed. They're there to do the best job they can for the director. They have a lot of questions, and your job is to have answers.

You'll never meet a nicer person, let alone a nicer actress, than Mary Steenburgen.

It's so damn hard to write a great historical mystery based on fact. It's not for lack of trying.