I thought film was more important than life itself for many years. But I was naive to the world until my first child was born in 1985.
The best time of my life has been the three instances where I have been there for the birth of my children. That is, nothing [else] has ever come close.
There's been more written about Lincoln than movies made about him or television portraying him. He's kind of a stranger to our industry, to this medium. You have to go back to the 1930s to find a movie that's just about Abraham Lincoln. I just found that my fascination with Lincoln, which started as a child, got to the point where after reading so much about him I thought there was a chance to tell a segment of his life to to moviegoers.
When my children were born, I made the choice I wanted them to be raised as Jews and to have a Jewish education.
I'm not a great man to my children. I'm just 'Pop.' The more involved I am with my kids, it keeps my head flat on top.
I don't really have a schedule of when I want to show my children my movies.
I love my kids as individuals, not as a herd, and I do have a herd of children: I have seven kids.
