If there's ever a man to disprove your long-held hope that the older you get, the less you'll give a shit what other people think, it's 81-year-old A Prairie Home Companion director Robert Altman. On the eve of his movie's big opening, Altman nervously admits to still desperately needing the approval of his peers, despite the fact that most of them are already dead:

"I'm scared shitless. I get very sensitive about reviews and what people have said," Altman said. "As long as I've been doing this, I still take it personally. I don't know why. I guess that's just my nature."

It's a very human and honest revelation, though we can't help but wonder if the sentiment wasn't perhaps rooted in a sly attempt at guilting critics into praising the film. The thought only occurred to us when Altman went on to warn that "even one thumb, pointing sideways, or—God forbid!—down, could be enough to break this sad, old man's heart and push the very last breath out of my tired, brittle lungs."