With film, I always sit with people first and talk a while, and then we read or sing or whatever. I never sit behind a table. I get up; I work with them. I do everything I possibly can to not audition them. I can find out the best of them from them feeling comfortable and appreciated. I'd never let someone leave feeling not valued.

Rob Marshall

I'd much rather fail than do something like 'The Chorus Line' movie, sanitized and Hollywoodized.

Rob Marshall

chorus failing lines

Maybe because I come from choreography, I've always felt that there's something about action films that made it very natural for me to go that way. It's story through movement.

Rob Marshall

movement stories way

The hardest part about directing is getting everyone on the same page.

Rob Marshall

hardest pages

When you're doing an action set piece, it's very similar to choreography in a way because it's shot that way. It's meticulous how it's rehearsed. I mean, you have no idea.

Rob Marshall

pieces mean ideas

The thing about movie musicals is that there have been some brilliant ones, but when they're bad, they're really bad - big white elephants.

Rob Marshall

brilliant elephants white

As a director, you should choose a project that will educate you and enrich your life, because you're going to be doing it for two years.

Rob Marshall

two directors years

My great joy in working on anything is stepping out in front of the camera and working with the actors.

Rob Marshall

cameras actors joy

It was actually the opposite of what a director once said to me. He said, 'Remember, everyone is here to serve you.' And as he walked away, I thought to myself, 'It's exactly the opposite: I'm here to serve everyone.

Rob Marshall

opposites remember directors

I've never looked at a tax return without immediately losing consciousness.

Rob Marshall

return consciousness losing

I could never have been an accountant. I got a D in math.

Rob Marshall

accountants has-beens math

I'm very aware of the fact that Broadway musicals being brought to the screen are very few and far between, and it's important to continue that relationship between Broadway and film. It's a privilege and an honor for me to be instrumental in some way in keeping that alive.

Rob Marshall

me honor relationship way

At the end of a song, someone's always different than they are at the beginning.

Rob Marshall

end someone beginning song

The musicals that I loved, growing up - many, many. 'Singing in the Rain,' of course, is a classic, I love 'Meet Me in St. Louis.' I love 'Funny Face,' Stanley Donen's beautiful movie. It's really countless for me.

Rob Marshall

rain beautiful love funny

Maybe it took a little time, or we're a little late, but finally we're recognizing that international stars are fantastic. They're the greatest actors in the world, and few people know that.

Rob Marshall

stars time people world

I kind of love working on film because television in live, that's tricky.

Rob Marshall

live film love television

I kind of grew up on musicals, specifically, for whatever reason. They're something that really attracted me as a child.

Rob Marshall

whatever child me reason

What's interesting was with all the shows I did on Broadway, I was either the dance captain or the assistant choreographer - I sort of worked my way up to that kind of thing - and I always was interested in more than just the dancers and the numbers. I would always sneak into the room and watch the scene work.

Rob Marshall

dance work numbers way

My last show that I did on Broadway was - I hate to say this, but - 'Cats.' There you go. So I was doing 'Cats' on Broadway, and I injured my back. It was a really tough show.

Rob Marshall

cats you tough hate

When movement isn't enough, you dance, or when speaking isn't enough, you sing. When it's organic, and it's earned like that in a musical, that's when it works, and then there's nothing like it because it's this thing that takes you to a whole 'nother level, you know?

Rob Marshall

nothing know you dance

I was very aware of the fact we were so out of fashion when I shot 'Chicago.' And I was trepidatious as to whether it would be seen or embraced by anybody, but I've never stopped believing in the genre. There's nothing like it. It's American-born.

Rob Marshall

nothing never like fashion