James Cameron Interview (page: 8 / 8) Master Filmmaker	Print Interview

One hears stories about Jim Cameron at work on the set, the madman, the crackpot visionary. Wherever these stories come from, is it an obsessiveness, a passion that is necessary to get where you want to go?

James Cameron: What people call obsession or passion, for me it's just a work ethic. I think it comes from an insecurity that I'm not good enough. There are other people out there that I grew up admiring that are still making movies, and those movies are great. I've got to compete with these guys and these women. Have I thought of everything? Have I thought of every detail? Is this the best the scene can be? It comes from a healthy insecurity that makes you better as an artist. And just from a kind of gonzo intensity.

Get the Flash Player to see this video. I just like to do it full bore. For me it's not about being comfortable. I want to be in there. I want to help the guys move the dolly. I'm at my best when I'm neck deep in ice water trying to work out how we're going to, you know, keep the lights turned on when the water hits the bulbs. You know? I mean, the more the challenge is, the more I enjoy it. And the more I can lead other people into these situations where they all think they're going to die, the more fun I'm having. So needless to say we have a few washouts. We have a few people that don't like my version of day camp, but I would say that 80 or 90 percent of them feel like they've been through something. They've done the best that they've done in their professional careers, and they're usually pretty eager to re-up for another one.

[ Key to Success ] Passion

What does the American Dream mean to you?

Get the Flash Player to see this video. James Cameron: As a Canadian, the American dream had a very negative and pejorative connotation when I was growing up, because it was this kind of cultural imperialism. I grew up in a border town on the other side of the border in Niagara Falls, Canada. But since I moved to the United States at the age of 17, I actually feel very much like I'm probably, in my basic genetic nature, much more American than Canadian because I really believe strongly in a lot of the traditional values of this country in terms of respecting individuals' rights. The rights to freedom of speech and a lot of the things that are in the basic fabric of this country.

[ Key to Success ] The American Dream

Get the Flash Player to see this video. Americans, and Canadians even to a large extent, are -- they come from frontiersman stock, so they are people who, you know, hewed their civilization out of the wilderness. It wasn't given to them. You know, it's not like people growing up in Italy or France in the shadow of past glories from thousands of years before. You know, "We made what we have, and we don't have a great cultural depth like they do but what we have is ours by God." And, you know, I like that. I like that about it, you know. It sort of puts your hand on the tiller of destiny in a way and America definitely has its hand on the tiller of destiny for this planet. For good or bad. It doesn't mean you know what you're doing necessarily.

[ Key to Success ] The American Dream

Americans are very happy to argue like crazy about everything and hold things up to ridicule that other countries just take for granted and I think that that's a good thing.

Anybody can come here from anywhere, and if you've got the goods it's a meritocracy. There are inequities just like anywhere, but we challenge the inequities. We're trying to evolve. Certain other countries aren't even trying to evolve. They're not trying to challenge those inequities. There's something that can happen here that's unique.

Because America has imbedded within it this thing called Hollywood -- this Mecca to which film makers from all over the world come and participate -- it has become a kind of entertainment/pop culture leader for the world. There's a grave responsibility in that as well. I'm not sure that that mantle is being worn well right now, but it's the place to be. I could go on for hours about that.

We could go on for a couple of hours talking to you. You've been terrific and we really appreciate it.

James Cameron Interview, Page: 1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8