I am Director and Actor Warren Beatty. AMA.

Hey Warren,

With a career of incredible movies spanning decades, box office successes, magazine covers, talk shows, red carpets, and Oscar nominations... do you sometimes find it overwhelming to be the husband of Annette Bening?

The best thing that ever happened to me is Annette Bening.

in Dick Tracey, there was a scene where Dick Tracey jumps on top of a pole and slides down. And everytime I watch this movie I notice how hard the stunt double hits the pole. Did you watch this happen?

That was me!

What is your best memory about filming Bonnie and Clyde? Best regards for you and your wife from a fan of both in Mexico.

That my mother and father visited me on the set for the first time since it was the first movie I produced. My mother was a smoker. She and my father sat in and witnessed a production meeting. I saw her smoking and I asked her in front of the group if she loved me. There was an embarrassing silence. She said to me, ‘Of course, I love you. Why would you ask a question like that?’ I then said, ‘Well if you love me, will you put that cigarette out and never smoke another one?’

She stared down at the cigarette in her hand for a while and then she put it out. She never smoked another cigarette.

How sick and tired are you of people asking if Ned Beatty is your brother? Have you two met?

I actually can't remember someone ever asking me that question. Ned Beatty and I don’t know each other very well but I admire his work.

What inspired you to make Reds?

Arrogance.

Hey Warren! Big fan here. Does "Rules Don't Apply" feel like your magnum opus, or do you still consider the music video for "Ghetto Superstar" to be the masterpiece of your lifetime?

That's a decision only you can make.

You've been such an influence on my personally since Dick Tracy when I was 12. My passion for film and acting are thanks to you. Also your love of politics encouraged me to vote at 18. How do you feel about this years election??

I’ve spent a lot of my life in political activism. I campaigned for Jack Kennedy, I campaigned with Bobby Kennedy and quit movies for a while to work with George McGovern and help him try to get us out of Vietnam. I’ve remained a lifelong Democrat although I have as many friends who are Republicans. What concerns me most at the moment is that the commercialization of the use of technology may be creating a cacophony of opinions that obliterates voices of wisdom.

Is there a director dead or alive that you want/wanted to work with that you never got the chance? If so who?

Love your work, Bonnie and Clyde is one of the all time greats

Jean Renoir

Do you have any thoughts you can share about the critical pile-on for Ishtar? I honestly thought it was one of the funniest films I've ever seen, and I watch it often. "This map could inflame the entire middle east". Good stuff.

You're right about Ishtar. It's a long story about the way it was handled.

What are some pragmatic things you could suggest an actor do to come across charismatic and engaging on screen?

To stop thinking about trying to come across as charismatic and engaging.

How was it working with the great Robert Altman? Did you pick up anything from him ?

Bob Altman was a lot of fun to work with. He was brilliantly flexible and improvisational.

How does the tabloid press of today compare to 25, and 50 years ago? Is it really that much worse?

Yes.

Tell us about working with Lily Collins. She seems like an actress with a lot of talent who hasn't gotten a chance to showcase it. Thoughts?

I feel Lily Collins has an unlimited potential in movies. She makes brave choices, it's hard to take your eyes off of her on screen and her chemistry with Alden Ehrenreich was both hilarious and moving.

Got any good Hunter S Thompson stories?

Yes.

If someone made a biopic about your life, which actor would you want to play you and why?

Ronald Reagan. Or maybe Barack Obama. I might add that Ronald Reagan, who was a friend of mine, once said to me (not joking) that he did not know how anyone could be President now without being an actor.

Are you surprised Mickey One never found a big, cult audience?

No.

Are you going to be in any Marvel movies or Star Warses?

No but our hilarious and romantic leading man in Rules Don't Apply, Alden Ehrenreich, is the new Han Solo.

Did you keep the yellow trench coat from Dick Tracy?

That thing was totally baller... They wouldn't have been able to take it off me with a without physical force.

He wore it in the Dick Tracy Special on TCM. What I want to know is if he kept the watch. Now that they couldn't pry away from me!

They're both upstairs in a closet. It's locked.

one of my fave lines from REDS - 'well its Thanksgiving - why don't you come as a turkey" Written or from history?

Written.

Who is an actor that you admired starting out, that doesn't get their due?

Steve Hill who unfortunately passed away recently.

There is a long standing rumor in the imdb trivia section that you were at one time working on a Pokémon movie. Is there any truth to that rumor?

No.

To me there is something special about Shampoo that I can't put my finger on. Would you say that It's a Hal Ashby movie or Hal Ashby/Warren Beatty movie? What was your involvement behind the scenes?

I would call it a Hal Ashby/Robert Towne/Warren Beatty movie. We were all happily involved.

3 Stooges or Marx Brothers?

Groucho was a friend of mine I have to go with that. I was never close to Karl (Marx.)

So Dick Tracy reboot?

Yes.

Hey Warren! Thanks for joining us! Been a fan since I was 12! Bugsy remains my favorite film. Thank you for that gift. What's your favorite memory from that film? Any shot or scene in particular?

PS - Annette is brilliant. Tell her reddit says hello!

My favorite memory from Bugsy is how I lost interest in the garlic chicken I was eating two seconds after I met Annette Bening for the first time.

Which is harder to do acting or directing? In your opinion.

I don't like to separate them and I don't like the actors I work with to separate them. I like to have everyone feel they are directing at the same time as we are acting together. They're not... but I like them to feel that they are anyway.

Do you ever miss living in Virginia?

I love Virginia but I love where I live – California.

Will you ever write an autobiography??

Yes.

What is your connection to Nova Scotia?

My mother was from Nova Scotia.

What would you rather get into a fight with; 100 horses the size of rabbits, or 1 rabbit the size of a horse?

I would have to meet the rabbit that is the size of the horse.

What is your favorite memory filming Ishtar?

Standing holding two camels on a street in Marrakesh with Dustin Hoffman staring at one another.

Cannot wait for Rules Don't Apply and glad you're back on the film circuit?

What have you been doing during your break from film, and what's a film that you did that you wish more people saw and appreciated?

Finally, what future projects, if any, can we expect from you?

I have been experiencing fatherhood with the 5 most fascinating people on earth, Annette and my four kids whom I like to refer to as ‘4 small Eastern European countries, all democracies but with chiefs of state firmly ensconced.’ And each one more interesting than any 5 movies.

People might find Bulworth more interesting now than when it was released.

Hi Warren,

I'm fascinated by the life of Howard Hughes, how much research went into playing him? Looking forward to Rules Don't Apply.

Many years of being amused by what friends of his told me about him.

Thank you for helping to discover Woody Allen and giving him his first film job. What is your favorite Woody Allen film?

Probably Annie Hall.

Hi Warren!

Thanks for doing this ama!

Do you see any relation in the character you played Senator Bulworth and Donald Trump? Both guys that didn't give a fuck what they said and somehow get more popular for doing it?

Also what is your opinion of Donald Trump?

What Jay Bulworth is saying is very, very different from that which Mr. Trump is saying.

What was your favorite location to film in?

Hollywood.

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No.