I always wanted 'Sideways' to be like a great 1960s Italian film.

I think if you watch most of my films with the sound off, you could still tell what's going on.

I make comedies and I always try... I don't try but I allow to have at least 5% of the jokes or have some jokes that I know will be understood by only about 5% of the audience. It's that guy in the corner who gets it and laughs. But he has to have his jokes too. That's part of my audience. Part of my audience is the people who will only get certain things.

Acting is a lot easier than people think it is.

The best cinema is about ethics.

A book suggests a whole world and story that I could have never thought of in a million years.

I don't feel despair because I am able to make the films I want to make, and that gives me hope.