That's how I like to do it with actors, have them really go for it and I'll tell them when it's too much. It's always easier to bring it back then to push it further.

He also tends to set his films in Omaha. He maintains a passion for preservation. Payne attended Creighton Preparatory School high school and later Stanford University where he double majored in Spanish and History.

His films are noted for their dark humor and satirical depictions of contemporary American society. Alexander Payne (born Constantine Alexander Payne; February 10 1961) is an American film director and screenwriter known for the films Election (1999) About Schmidt (2002) Sideways (2004) and The Descendants (2011).