I've been very fortunate to have the opportunity to work on wonderful shows.
Michelle MacLaren
'Once Upon a Time in the West' is one of my favorite films.
I did every odd job you could possibly imagine: Holding a sign in the rain for 14 hours straight, sweeping up cigarette butts, pouring coffee, running around - anything I could to be on a film set. I wanted to be in the business. So I'd say, 'You need that job done? Fine,' and I became indispensable to people.
Sometimes I forget to say 'cut' because I am so lost in the performance.
I'm not surprised that I tend to go for the dark side. I was a really scared kid, so I think I understand what scares people.
I love television. Television is a great medium; I'm fortunate enough to direct amazing television.
I seem to gravitate toward the dark side of things when it comes to directing. I love action, but I love the drama as well.
My feeling is, from when I started on 'Breaking Bad,' there's no reason to pick and choose because every episode is great. Whatever episode you get, you're lucky to do it.
A montage is incredibly challenging. When I can, I'd like to know what the music is going to be ahead of time because that will affect the beat, the pace of the montage.
In general, we like to shoot Breaking Bad like a modern day Western, and Sergio Leone is one of my all-time favorite directors.
I always say that AMC hires filmmakers, and they let them be filmmakers.
I love the dark comedy in 'Breaking Bad.'
Graphic novels are such a visually creative world - it's really interesting what they can do in one sketch. Now I'm hooked.
The type of producing that I did for many years involved working very closely with directors.
After I directed for the first time, I wanted to call every director I'd ever worked with and apologize. In television you are tasked with shooting 42 minutes, or whatever, in eight days. That's not a lot of time.
In 'Breaking Bad,' we have a lead character who definitely finds himself in a situation he would never have expected to find himself in normally.
Every character a writer creates has some of themselves in it somewhere.
'Breaking Bad' was a magical, amazing experience. I'm honored to have been a part of it.
I approach an action sequence almost like a mathematical problem. Sometimes you get these action sequences that you read and go, 'Oh my God, this is huge, how do I do it?' and I go, 'Just a step at a time. Sit down and plot each piece of it out.'
I really want to be part of things from the ground up wherever possible. Not to say that I'm not open to being a gun for hire - I am, absolutely - but I really enjoy developing.
I always say, 'I love producing, but directing is my passion,' and for a while, I had to produce to support my directing habit.
Vince Gilligan and AMC are really wonderful people to direct and produce for because they don't put the demands of any conventionalism on you.
Would I like to do a feature? Absolutely.
I will never leave television.
