Billy Crystal explains ending his directing hiatus: 'I couldn’t let anyone else tell our story'

Billy Crystal's directing career is the definition of quality over quantity.

The 73-year-old initially made a strong shift into the director's chair with Mr. Saturday Night (1992) and Forget Paris (1995). After 2001's television movie 61*, however, Crystal dropped the craft until Here Today—hitting theaters tomorrow (May 7).

Crystal explained the 20-year gap in an interview with IndieWire:

"Because I didn't find anything that I connected with enough to want to give so much to it and spend a year, year-and-a-half, sometimes two years on a project. And I was busy, back on Broadway twice and doing other things. 

"When Alan [Zweibel] and I started writing, I knew right away that I couldn’t let anyone else tell our story. I just kept seeing it, and that infused the writing. The script became very visual to me. If you read the script, you would actually sort of see the movie that I was seeing already. It was only because I was so connected to the characters and their relationship. It moved me, and it still moves me."

Here Today places Crystal opposite Tiffany Haddish. The former plays a washed-up comedy writer, the latter a spirited street performer, and after an unlikely meeting, the duo form a compassionate and informative friendship. The dramedy also stars Sharon Stone, Penn Badgley, Laura Benanti, Nyambi Nyambi, and more.

Watch the trailer below.