Joshua Leonard

Sony could have $50 million and a sound stage and A-list actors and never make the same film. The constraints on this film became the essence of this film, became the power of this film.

I would love to direct some day. It’s a good job for a control freak.

The first thing I do when I read a part is see if I can identify emotionally with a character. If I make that connection, everything else is just working on knowing their life circumstances and manifesting those through practice and research.

Mike and Heather and I rapped once or twice in New York and then we all wound up on a train together on the way out to Maryland. I think it was about a month and a half from the time we got cast until the time we shot the thing.

Actors are such an insecure breed.

We ended up with 19 hours of footage and had to narrow it down to an hour and a half. Our instructions were to film everything that came up, including the more mundane moments.

Pain is pain, joy is joy – you can’t avoid bringing pieces of yourself into a role.

Being behind a camera, in front of the camera, is my own little deconstructionist niche.

I ultimately have faith though, that good films will find their audience.

We hit a stride where all self-consciousness disappeared.

I’ve done almost 20 films and I still worry about not finding the next one.

I’m really proud of Blair Witch Project as a film, but as far as the cultural phenomenon of it – that was just weird luck.

Even in the realest American cinema that I see, there’s still not that sense that this is reality. There’s still that sense that you are watching a movie. And hopefully, if we did get our jobs right, that sense disappears when you watch this movie.

I’m less interested in slasher, and go more for roles that can affect you on a personal level. I’m interested in human empathy in the movies I see, and in the ones I am a part of.

In horror, character development is often pushed aside in favor of the shock value. The best genre movies to me are movies like The Shining. You had a connection to the characters in that film.

I think as long as there are folks on the fringe who want to make movies, the indie scene will still be around. I do think it’s getting harder to get them seen though.