Harlin's Quotes

#1. I'm the bad guy on the rest of Jennifer Love Hewitt's 'The Client List,' I'm the bad guy in Renny Harlin's 'Hercules 3D,' and I'm a movie star - finally - on Showtime's new series 'Ray Donovan.' But most importantly, I'm about to be a daddy, so I'm expecting some 'Dark Circles' for real.

Johnathon Schaech

#2. Other than the fact that I'm entirely sick of Mexican food, Abe might be in there. And he might accidentally-on-purpose drop a plate of enchiladas into Harlin's lap if we're together.

Suzanne Young

#3. In Finland, getting a university degree is the first thing that you expect your kids to do.

Renny Harlin

#4. Ford Fairlane was one of those movies that was so much fun to make that it was bound not to be a big hit.

Renny Harlin

#5. Several times we were stranded in strange places without any money and with our credit cards cancelled - trapped in a hotel that we couldn't check out of because we had no money to check out.

Renny Harlin

#6. It's nice to meet you, Elise," he says, a slow, sexy smile pulling at his lips. "I'm Harlin.

Suzanne Young

#7. Eventually I did that, but it took a lot of twists and turns, and there were a year or two there where I was living with no money at all - no home, no car, no nothing. I was living in somebody's garage in Los Angeles at that point - for a year.

Renny Harlin

#8. At that point, the movie was called Wild Force. Everything fell apart, eventually - our financing completely fell apart - and we were never able to make that film.

Renny Harlin

#9. Harlin smiles softly and steps up, wrapping his arms around me as he brings his lips to my ear. I close my eyes. "I hate every second I'm away from you," he says. "Don't ever doubt that." And then he kisses me.

Suzanne Young

#10. Harlin needs you," she whispers. "He loves you too much."
I smile a little. "I know. But I like that about him.

Suzanne Young

#11. A government institution called the Finnish Film Foundation funds filmmaking there, and I wrote several screenplays but never got any money. They were sent back to me, and they said that they were too commercial for them.

Renny Harlin

#12. Dad used to say, "Death is a part of it all." I say it's the ugly part. But it's why I'm here, why Eiger climbers come. We come because they died, and by dying they created this legend, and we want to be a part of the legend, without dying.

John Harlin

#13. I loved cutting together simple commercials about margarine or soft drinks - all kinds of silly products - but I tried to make the commercials different.

Renny Harlin

#14. It proved to be pretty impossible to get funds for a feature film in Finland. It's still small, but the film industry was miniscule at that point in the early '80s.

Renny Harlin

#15. My very, very first professional job was when I was 19 years old - I got a job doing an educational industrial film on Shell Motor Oil's oil products. I really put my heart into it - I wrote a script for it, I did a lot of research.

Renny Harlin

#16. I went out to some advertising agencies and asked if I could do anything.

Renny Harlin

#17. Eventually, in '84, we made a film for a little over a million dollars - with American actors that was shot in English - that was shown in Finland A little action film called Born American.

Renny Harlin

#18. I loved movies and went to see every movie I could in Finland.

Renny Harlin

#19. Your time for crossing is over. Now you must help Harlin find the Forgotten and lead them to their destinies. And, of course, extinguish the Shadows where you can.

Suzanne Young

#20. Actually, it was first a movie called Gale Force, which was a hurricane movie. That script never came together, and then the same deal was replaced with Cliffhanger.

Renny Harlin

#21. I've continued to always keep in mind having a healthy does of that in Hollywood, now that I am part of the system and obviously have to follow the way the system works - you still have to have that crazy determination.

Renny Harlin

#22. When I make decisions based on other circumstances, things don't necessarily go so well. So sometimes, even if something seems commercially tempting, I've learned that if it's not what's in your heart, it's probably not what you should do.

Renny Harlin

#23. I feel like I learned very early on that your heroes are only as powerful as your villains. And I'm attracted to intelligent villains.

Renny Harlin

#24. When I follow my heart, usually the results are good.

Renny Harlin

#25. I decided that, somehow, I had to get out of there and go to Hollywood. I had never been to America.

Renny Harlin

#26. I did some film reviews for small papers in Finland and things like that to be able to keep living here.

Renny Harlin

#27. You want to do something that shows some type individuality and talent and imagination - at the same time, you want to be truthful to the predecessors, because obviously the audience liked something about them and you have to replicate that experience to a certain extent.

Renny Harlin

#28. For a brief second I remember everything about who and what I used to be. But most of all, I remember Harlin. And I wonder how he'll find me if I'm someone else.

Suzanne Young

#29. Wind is blowing past me and I open my eyes to look at the bridge above me. But I see only Harlin. And as I fall, he mouths, I love you.

Suzanne Young

#30. I became a real Shell Motor Oil expert, and I did this 25-minute film. It turned out really well and, as a result, they offered me more work and lots of commercials to direct.

Renny Harlin

#31. I learned a lot about how to shoot and how to put together sequences.

Renny Harlin

#32. I believe the important part of directing really is finding the right people for the right roles. Sometimes you go for what's expected, and sometimes you go against type because you think that'll really bring something different to the movie.

Renny Harlin

#33. I think the reason why we were able to actually get it made was that we were so extremely naive - we had no experience at all here. We didn't even know that you were supposed to have an agent. We didn't even have a lawyer. We didn't know one soul.

Renny Harlin

#34. I was making films when I was about 12 years old - Super-8 films.

Renny Harlin

#35. Just live in the moment and not be afraid to try things out and make mistakes.

Renny Harlin

#36. What I learned most was how to tell a story in 15 seconds or 30 seconds or 60 seconds - to have some kind of goal of what to try to do and make it happen in that time.

Renny Harlin

#37. You just never give up, no matter how hard the challenges are, and observe this world with a healthy dose of criticism and don't just follow the herd like somebody else might do.

Renny Harlin

#38. There were a lot of people dreaming about making films, and they would finance maybe 6 films a year. Because they were funded by the government, the films sort-of had to deal with serious social issues - and, as a result, nobody went to see those films.

Renny Harlin

#39. That was a nice save," Harlin says, sounding amused. "So detailed. Like a nurse."

"Shut up, Harlin," I say, trying not to smile. "I didn't hear you offer anything better."

"You sure you didn't want to tell him we were playing doctor? That might have sounded more believable.

Suzanne Young

#40. I think that villains who are just brawn, muscles and weapons are boring. So I always try to find intelligence in my villains and also a sense of humor whenever that is possible.

Renny Harlin

#41. There is still so much I want to know, want to ask. But before I can say anything else, the world stops. There's silence around me.
I wait a beat, and when I finally sit up, I find Harlin waiting for me - ready to start again.

Suzanne Young

#42. This was in '79. I got pretty restless there, sitting around with a lot of people sitting around smoking cigarettes and talking about films, but nobody really doing anything.

Renny Harlin