Rob Reiner wants to "express himself" through his movies.
The 71-year-old actor and director has admitted he is no longer interested in making movies that other people want him to make, as he’s much more focused on creating films that mean something to him, rather than to just "churn out a project".
He said: "I mean, I’m making the movies I want to make, but it’s not with the same kind of support system that I had, and so it’s much more difficult.
"Studios are looking for hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars in profit and you’re not going to get it with a little movie. It’s like what Bernstein says in ‘Citizen Kane’: ‘It’s no trick to make a lot of money if all you want is to make a lot of money.’ But I came into this business to express myself and tell stories, not just churn out a product."
The ‘When Harry Met Sally’ creator admits the movie industry is in a "different time now" where blockbuster hits come from franchises, and says its now harder for those making "movies about people" to get recognised.
He added: "It’s a different time now and studios are making big event pictures and franchises and sometimes an R-rated comedy. So everybody who wants to make movies about people, politics or relationships has to find independent financing, and that’s what I do with Castle Rock Entertainment."
Rob – who also created ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ and ‘Stand By Me’ – says his main goal through his work is just to make people "feel comfortable and happy".
Speaking to The Guardian newspaper, he said: "But I want everyone around me to feel comfortable and happy. And then I can come into work and be like: ‘Hey, I get to spend today with these people today! Isn’t that great? Aren’t I lucky?’"
Rob Reiner’s expressive movies
