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 educationalfilmheart share on social
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 challengecriticismdose Change image and share on social
In Finland, getting a university degree is the first thing that you expect your kids to do. Renny Harlin degreeexpectfinland Change image and share on social
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 commercialcutdrink Change image and share on social
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 actionactoramerican Change image and share on social
I decided that, somehow, I had to get out of there and go to Hollywood. I had never been to America. Renny Harlin americadecidehollywood Change image and share on social
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 80searlyfeature Change image and share on social
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 cancelcardcheck Change image and share on social
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 dealdreamfilm share on social
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 audienceexperienceextent share on social
