I always say be humble but be firm. Humility and openness are the key to success without compromising your beliefs.

The arc of the celebrity phenomenon ultimately is: everything turns to dust and everything does go away.

Im very strongly in favor of the auteur theory.

I love the grandiosity of Hollywood movies, and even in independents, I love the canvas you can tell your story on. I love fiction filmmaking, you really feel like you're creating something.

Obviously you have a responsibility - one would like to think there is such a thing as ethics in filmmaking.

Im fascinated by failure, and Im fascinated by finality. Shakespeares historical plays are more universal than his comedies because they relate to the finality of life. Without finality, life would not be beautiful.

Most people, 95% of people, are good people. Its the 5% who get seduced by power.

At times doc filmmaking feels more rewarding creatively. Because you are creating something out of pure cinema - instead of narrative cinema, where you've got a script and a cast and you build from your foundation, whereas in documentary, you're building out of chaos.

Generally in my films like Hearts of Darkness or Picture This, I try not to make myself a presence in the film.