Relax! Life is beautiful!
There's a fine line between patriotism and corn.
My initial goal for the 1984 opening ceremonies was a show that would be majestic, inspirational, and emotional - a 20 goosebump experience.
I make it happen. Who bought Alex Haley's book 'Roots' for TV? Me. I hired the director, hired the writer. I put them all together. I'm like the chef. If I mix all the ingredients right, it's going to taste terrific. If I don't, it's not going to come out good.
For a two-hour movie on a 20-day shooting schedule, it's O.K. to have an actor who's a pain in the neck.
I believe that religion and politics should not mix. Both should be a part of somebody's life - but not together.
My philosophy as a filmmaker is to inform and entertain at the same time. And when I went away from documentaries into miniseries like 'Roots,' I did the reverse. Instead of just entertaining, I want to inform at the same time.
If people perceive 'Roots' to be a black history show, nobody is going to watch it.
Motion pictures are a director's medium. Broadway is a writer's medium. Television is a producer's medium. I picked a medium I could control.
You have to say, 'We think it's going to work. Let's go with it.' Either you're going to kill the world, or you're going to fall on your rear end.
Why is it that if you hit a shot to within a tenth of an inch of the hole, it's a great shot, but if it goes in, it's luck?
I liked the clear morality of 1941, when you had no doubt about good and evil. There was a lot of idealism, people fighting for a cause. People are searching for morality today.
I don't fall in love with inanimate objects. I don't bond with them. I only fall in love with people.
I did not intend for there to be an incisive historical lesson in 'North and South.' Basically, it's just a good, juicy story.
Somebody said something funny to me the other day. They said, 'Wolper, until two weeks ago, your tombstone was going to say, 'David Wolper, the man who produced 'Roots.' I think the tombstone now has a new inscription. It's going to be 'David Wolper, the man who produced the opening ceremony of the 1984 Olympics.'
The minute I went into business, I was a success, and I've done well ever since.
I can possibly say I have entertained and educated more people than anyone else in the world.
Sometimes if you tell me what a story is about in just a few sentences, I can tell you if it's going to be a success.
Some psychiatrist told me I was interested in sculpture because I dealt in flat surfaces and needed something with dimension.
I'm not a kid trying to make an impression in the business. I do have 600 films out there that are playing constantly.
