Ron Howard

Ron Howard: You've got to know that everyone who comes up with an idea may not have the right idea for you--even if it's your wife, your best friend or someone you're trying to please. Learning to seize control of my own life is the most important thing I've picked up.

Ron Howard: I think I handle criticism well. I think that's one of my strengths, in fact. That doesn't mean I like being criticized. It always hurts.

Ron Howard: (on what he learned from doing A Beautiful Mind) It was a tremendous growth experience, just on a personal level, because I learned a lot more about the mind, about psychiatry and mental illness than I had before.

Ron Howard: I'm beginning to view the DVD as an opportunity to sort of do what authors do, with authors' notes and acknowledgments, a preface, and things like that. I think that has some value and is worthy of some thought. I don't view it as a financial issue or a crucial project but in fact, just kind of a nice opportunity.

Ron Howard: (on directing) I discovered it through acting, through observing people carrying out that job and saying that seems to suit me better than being in front of the camera. I just felt like the total involvement looked fascinating and intriguing and when I began to do it, I just fell in love with it.

Ron Howard: (on the commonality among his films) I think it's a kind of a curiosity that I have for characters and the way they cope, particularly with loss or the threat of loss. I'm always intrigued by a character who thinks they are going down one path and suddenly has to face the possibility of a complete change, of an overwhelming loss.

Ron Howard: (on handling criticism) I think the healthiest kind of balance is one where you have the self confidence to continue to engage, to do the work, to prepare yourself so that you believe you are actually bringing something to this process.

Ron Howard: I think it's very fortunate that I was exposed to the entertainment business as a child, and taught about it in a really solid way... My dad is a very good natural teacher. He really gave me the fundamentals. So I had that going for me.

Ron Howard: One of the great things about being a director as a life choice is that it can never be mastered. Every story is its own kind of expedition, with its own set of challenges.