David Mamet

I said, yeah. I said, did you read the script before you took the part? Yeah. He says, yeah. I said, why'd the script got worse? Because they're paying you two million bucks for a week's work. Slam. So we didn't talk for years and years and years. And then I ran into him. He did like four or five movies that I wrote, De Niro. And he said, you know, blah, blah, blah. He said...

You know what, I called you when you called me when I have the greatest respect for you. I said, Bob, I have the greatest respect for you. So we're going to have to do a reading of some film. I think it was The Edge that was originally, eventually played with... Sean Connery? No, it was Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin.

You know what, I called you when you called me when I have the greatest respect for you. I said, Bob, I have the greatest respect for you. So we're going to have to do a reading of some film. I think it was The Edge that was originally, eventually played with... Sean Connery? No, it was Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin.

You know what, I called you when you called me when I have the greatest respect for you. I said, Bob, I have the greatest respect for you. So we're going to have to do a reading of some film. I think it was The Edge that was originally, eventually played with... Sean Connery? No, it was Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin.

So one of the great secrets about when anybody asks you to do a reading is they're never going to do the movie. Right. Never. Right. Because they use the reading unconsciously as a way to get out of doing the movie. And so the movie star, the main guy, is going to mumble and everyone's going to audition at the reading. So it's garbage.

So one of the great secrets about when anybody asks you to do a reading is they're never going to do the movie. Right. Never. Right. Because they use the reading unconsciously as a way to get out of doing the movie. And so the movie star, the main guy, is going to mumble and everyone's going to audition at the reading. So it's garbage.

So one of the great secrets about when anybody asks you to do a reading is they're never going to do the movie. Right. Never. Right. Because they use the reading unconsciously as a way to get out of doing the movie. And so the movie star, the main guy, is going to mumble and everyone's going to audition at the reading. So it's garbage.

So anyway, we do the reading. And I talked to Bob afterward. I said, what do you think? He said, it's good. It's really good. But it's just not... For me at this moment, it's just not it. I only have so many of them. And it's got to be it for me. It's got to be... It's gotta be great for me. It's gotta be great. He said, is that okay? I said, of course. He said, are you mad at me?

So anyway, we do the reading. And I talked to Bob afterward. I said, what do you think? He said, it's good. It's really good. But it's just not... For me at this moment, it's just not it. I only have so many of them. And it's got to be it for me. It's got to be... It's gotta be great for me. It's gotta be great. He said, is that okay? I said, of course. He said, are you mad at me?

So anyway, we do the reading. And I talked to Bob afterward. I said, what do you think? He said, it's good. It's really good. But it's just not... For me at this moment, it's just not it. I only have so many of them. And it's got to be it for me. It's got to be... It's gotta be great for me. It's gotta be great. He said, is that okay? I said, of course. He said, are you mad at me?

I said, of course not. He said, are you sure you're not mad at me? I said, no. He says, good. Because I got this piece of shit I'm supposed to shoot on Monday. I wonder if you could take a look at it.

I said, of course not. He said, are you sure you're not mad at me? I said, no. He says, good. Because I got this piece of shit I'm supposed to shoot on Monday. I wonder if you could take a look at it.

I said, of course not. He said, are you sure you're not mad at me? I said, no. He says, good. Because I got this piece of shit I'm supposed to shoot on Monday. I wonder if you could take a look at it.

Whoever it was. We did Wag the Dog. Barry Levinson called me up. He said, I got this idea. It's in a book. The president gets in trouble. He's got to go to war. I said, oh, I got it. He's getting in trouble because they caught him in the closet fucking a Girl Scout. He says, yeah, go write it. So I go write it. And two months later, they were shooting it.

Whoever it was. We did Wag the Dog. Barry Levinson called me up. He said, I got this idea. It's in a book. The president gets in trouble. He's got to go to war. I said, oh, I got it. He's getting in trouble because they caught him in the closet fucking a Girl Scout. He says, yeah, go write it. So I go write it. And two months later, they were shooting it.

Whoever it was. We did Wag the Dog. Barry Levinson called me up. He said, I got this idea. It's in a book. The president gets in trouble. He's got to go to war. I said, oh, I got it. He's getting in trouble because they caught him in the closet fucking a Girl Scout. He says, yeah, go write it. So I go write it. And two months later, they were shooting it.

Yeah, I am.

Yeah, I am.

Yeah, I am.

Really? Yeah. Wow. But I actually got, yeah, when I was a kid, I got in fights, but the only fight I actually got into, you know, outside of the mat and boxing, is I was walking down Fifth Avenue, and these guys were playing three-card Monty. And so, as my great friend Ricky Jay, the great magician, said, three-card Monty's not a game of... Skill, it's not a game of chance, it's not a game.