PartyLines- photographs by Patrick McMullan

This movie’s about a producer. How would you describe a producer’s job? “It’s an exploration of humiliation.” —John Turturro

—Emile Hirsch

What does a producer do? “You are asking the wrong person.” You didn’t learn anything from the movie? “I know it has a lot to do with money.” —Lily Rabe

—Robin Wright Penn and Sean Penn

How do you avoid talking to and taking meetings with people you don’t want to? “How do I get out of this?” —Steve Buscemi

—Lola Schnabel

What do producers actually do? “Sometimes they do a lot. Sometimes they do nothing.” —Barry Levinson

—Roger Waters

—Dean Winters

Which of your projects was the hardest to produce? “Cybill. I almost died ten days after wrapping principal photography of a devil twist in my gut.” —Cybill Shepherd

—Bob Balaban

—Regis and Joy Philbin

Robert De Niro seems so silent. “You formulate a kind of armor because what’s inside is very delicate. You’ve got to develop the hide of a rhino to protect the eggshells inside.” —Michael Wincott

—Robert DeNiro and Grace Hightower

—Craig Hatcoff and Jane Rosenthal

Which project of yours was the most aggravating to get made? “The Station Agent. It took us four years of hearing all the different actors that they wanted to play [Peter Dinklage’s] and my parts, until they finally decided to make it with us.” —Bobby Cannavale

—Charles Grodin

—Billy Connolly and Stanley Tucci

Would you ever consider producing a movie? “Not after I saw this.” —André Balazs