Alexander Payne

Birthday: 10 February 1961, Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Birth Name: Alexander Constantine Papadopoulos

Height: 178 cm

Director, producer and screenwriter Alexander Payne was born in Omaha, Nebraska. His parents, Peggy (Constantine) and George Payne, ran a Greek restaurant. His father is of Greek and German ancestry, and his mother is of Greek descent; the family name was originally Papadopoulos. He has two older brothers.Alexander attended Stanford University, where he majored in Spanish and History. He then went on to study film at UCLA Film School. His university thesis film was screened at the Sundance film festival, which led to him being backed by Miramax to write and direct Citizen Ruth (1996). Payne prefers to have control over his movies, from scripts to cast. Show less «

It's my hope that we're getting into an era where the value of a film is based on its proximity to r...Show more »

It's my hope that we're getting into an era where the value of a film is based on its proximity to real life rather than its distance from it. To do that, you need actors - stars, basically - who don't necessarily look like Ben Affleck. Show less «

I was so burned out with road trip movies that I needed a break from them. That's why I delayed Nebr...Show more »

I was so burned out with road trip movies that I needed a break from them. That's why I delayed Nebraska and worked on The Descendants instead. Well into production, a friend of mine pointed out, "you know, this movie has a road trip in it as well" and I was like "shit!" I guess I have a type. Show less «

When studios entrust big Hollywood blockbusters to strong, intelligent directors, like Steven Soderb...Show more »

When studios entrust big Hollywood blockbusters to strong, intelligent directors, like Steven Soderbergh or Sam Raimi [Spider-Mans 1 and 2] or Alfonso Cuarón [the latest Harry Potter], I say 'God bless 'em', because those films will have legs and might stand the test of time. But if they rely on just product, like two examples from this year, Van Helsing (2004) and Catwoman (2004) - I'm glad they tanked. Show less «

[on casting] They [the studios] go through that process where they think you have to find the most f...Show more »

[on casting] They [the studios] go through that process where they think you have to find the most famous people possible and then they go down the line. That's a game I'm increasingly uninterested in - unless the most famous possible person also happens to be very correct in the part, like Jack Nicholson. Show less «

I want all of my films to belong to me. There is an audience out there for literate films - slower, ...Show more »

I want all of my films to belong to me. There is an audience out there for literate films - slower, more observant, more human films, and they deserve to be made. Which is why I want Sideways (2004) to succeed, to encourage other film-makers. Show less «

Ann (Beeder) is my best friend from childhood. I live in L.A. and she lives in New York, but we try ...Show more »

Ann (Beeder) is my best friend from childhood. I live in L.A. and she lives in New York, but we try to coordinate our trips to Omaha to fall at the same time. When we get there, we always find an adventure for us to go on. The last one was buying King Fong's, an old Chinese restaurant in downtown Omaha that once served as a brothel. Show less «

One of cinema's greatest uses or values lies not just in it's ability to capture reality, but to cap...Show more »

One of cinema's greatest uses or values lies not just in it's ability to capture reality, but to capture or suggest dreams. And silent films excelled from the start in fully embracing the weirdness of real life and dream and how the two can be combined into a story, the likes of which I think, we've not seen in the talkies - a fuller, weirder totality of human experience. Show less «

[on Reese Witherspoon in Election (1999)] She inhabited that role fully, but she can do all these ot...Show more »

[on Reese Witherspoon in Election (1999)] She inhabited that role fully, but she can do all these other roles. You see a woman in her, not a girl. She's going to be interesting for a long time. Show less «

It looks like a game of Battleship. I'll have my computer backed to his computer, cords and cables g...Show more »

It looks like a game of Battleship. I'll have my computer backed to his computer, cords and cables going in all sorts of directions. It's not the neatest setup, but it's worked for us. Show less «

I don't want everything to be about the fucking Oscars. Does it keep me in business? Yes. The thing ...Show more »

I don't want everything to be about the fucking Oscars. Does it keep me in business? Yes. The thing I lament is that we see good films only in the light of whether they get an Oscar. Where are those films throughout the year? Not just eight of them bunched up at the end, expecting to gird for battle. Show less «

When I'm shooting I don't care who the star is. I have an actor playing a part, and I'm serving the ...Show more »

When I'm shooting I don't care who the star is. I have an actor playing a part, and I'm serving the script, not serving anyone's career. My hope is that, after twenty minutes, perhaps the audience forgets it is George Clooney or Jack Nicholson and just sees the character. Show less «

Where is it written that if you are not getting your money from a studio you have more freedom? If I...Show more »

Where is it written that if you are not getting your money from a studio you have more freedom? If I had tried to make Sideways with independent funding I would have had to secure foreign presales and cast big stars in order to get my budget. This movie took a studio to say 'We're gambling on you. Cast whoever you want.' Show less «

[re I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)] "Chuck and Larry" was a disappointment. When Jim (...Show more »

[re I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)] "Chuck and Larry" was a disappointment. When Jim (Taylor) and I wrote the script, we went with a dark comedy approach. We knew when (Adam) Sandler was brought on board that he would toss out our work, bring his buddies on board, and turn it into a juvenile slapstick piece. That's fine, but that's not our work. About 5, maybe 10 percent of our script remained. Show less «

[asked about some non-American directors he admires] The Thai guy with the unpronounceable name [Api...Show more »

[asked about some non-American directors he admires] The Thai guy with the unpronounceable name [Apichatpong Weerasethakul], he's good. Interesting rhythms. Weird. He has his own language. Um. Who else is good? One of the best films I've seen this century is an Uruguayan film from a few years ago called Whisky (2004). I've traditionally followed Pedro Almodóvar. Michael Haneke's Amour (2012) I think is the only true masterpiece we've had in the last how-many years. It's a tremendous film. Show less «

[on Hitchcock's Psycho] Can you imagine Psycho in color? There's something chilling about that in bl...Show more »

[on Hitchcock's Psycho] Can you imagine Psycho in color? There's something chilling about that in black and white. You can't think of it in color. It's a different deal. It's super cool. Show less «

We don't have movies about ourselves, and we don't have a national film culture. It shouldn't be an ...Show more »

We don't have movies about ourselves, and we don't have a national film culture. It shouldn't be an epic aspiration to make simple human stories, but it is. Show less «

[on Reese Witherspoon]: She has such intelligence and humor, so it was a joyous leap of faith. Worki...Show more »

[on Reese Witherspoon]: She has such intelligence and humor, so it was a joyous leap of faith. Working with her, I kept thinking of Holly Hunter, she is an actress who is equally at home in character roles and in leads and in comedy and in drama. Reese has that kind of range, as an actress and as a human being. Show less «

While accepting his Director of the Year award for Sideways (2004) at the Palm Spring Film Festival:...Show more »

While accepting his Director of the Year award for Sideways (2004) at the Palm Spring Film Festival: "I thank you for this award, though I think there may be a problem with a world in which making small, human and humorous films is 'an achievement.' It should be the norm". Show less «

Alexander Payne

Alexander Payne's FILMOGRAPHY

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