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I worked two days in Texas and two days in Hollywood on 'Bonnie and Clyde,' and that was it. I had no idea how it was going to turn out. And when I saw it, I was so upset, or fascinated, or something, by the sight of myself on the screen that I could hardly pay attention to the rest of the movie.
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I had a unique form: a Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
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Great art direction is NOT the same thing as great film direction!
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I trust if your life is right, the right things will happen at the right time. If the chords are in harmony inside, I think other things will happen in the same way. That sounded highfalutin' to me once, but I believe it now.
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I never used to believe in fate. I used to think you make your own life, and then you call it fate.
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I feel alone and safe in public.
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I'm stopped by mothers who say, 'Mr. Wilder, what advice would you give to my young boy? He's really talented.'
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I'm in complete remission. I'm alive and well.
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If my mother hadn't laughed at the funny things I did, I probably wouldn't be a comic actor. After she had her first heart attack, the doctor said, 'Try to make her laugh.' And that was the first time I tried to make anyone laugh.
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My mother was suffering every day of her life, and what right did I have to be happy if she was suffering? So whenever I got happy about something, I felt the need to cut it off, and the only way to cut it off was to pray. 'Forgive me Lord.' For what, I didn't know.
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The thing I love about making movies is the peace of mind that I know I don't have to be perfect the first time. I can be perfect the second time or the third time.
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The world is not based on fairness. Human beings can rise to fairness, can administer something that makes it fair or just. But that's not God.
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If something comes along that's really good, and I think I would be good for it, I'd be happy to do it. But not too many came along. I mean, they came along for the first, I don't know, 15, 18 films, but I didn't do that many. But then I didn't want to do the kind of junk I was seeing.
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I like writing books. I'd rather be at home with my wife. I can write, take a break, come out, have a glass of tea, give my wife a kiss, and go back in and write some more. It's not so bad. I am really lucky.
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I'm funny on camera sometimes. In life, once in a while. Once in a while.
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What I learned from Mel Brooks was audacity - in performance as in life. Maybe you go too far, but try it.
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I thought the script was very good, but something was missing. I wanted to come out with a cane, come down slowly, have it stick into one of the bricks, get up, fall over, roll around, and they all laugh and applaud. The director asked, ‘what do you want to do that for?’ I said from that time on, no one will know if I’m lying or telling the truth.
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I've had a very good life and a very good career. I have no regrets.
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I said something really stupid once. I told a friend that my mother was so beautiful, but my dad was ugly. My dad heard it and just laughed it off, but I felt guilty. It haunted me for years. I should never have said that.
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There seems to be a pattern. I get one good script every two years.
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Pride is not the worst of sins. In fact, it's one of the most interesting ones.
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I'm not from Hollywood, and I'm also not one of the people who wants to do a tell-all, and I hate tell-alls. I didn't want to tell all.
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I've become pretty philosophical about a lot of things, including death. It doesn't get to me.
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I'm an actor, not a clown.