Life and death are illusions. We are in a constant state of transformation.

All people know that they will die, but they don't actually believe it.

I didn't have a normal academic career. I never studied cinema. I learned from life.

Actually, when I think about growing up, I feel most affected by two travels that I made working in cargo boats when I was 16 and 18. One of them crossed through the Mississippi and Baton Rouge and Mobile, Alabama, and another went all the way to Europe. On the last trip, I stayed in Europe for one year with $1,000, working everywhere I could, doing everything. Those years shaped me a lot and taught me the value of exploring different things.

It's more enjoyable for me to know that life is finite. Knowing that, I would like to go to a party.

I never deny a true experience in one shot.

You hear about bombings in other countries, or numbers like "10,000 people died" - you hear that number and you think, "Well, I saw that yesterday in a film, and that didn't look so bad." Younger viewers, in particular, lose perspective on reality.