Great writing attracts great actors. It attracts money. Without a great script, you have nothing.

I don't control the movies that are offered to me, but I make choices based on certain parameters.

If you have the right actors and you can give them the freedom to explore, you've done a lot of your work as a director.

I'm not hooked on cognac, but I've enjoyed it over the years.

I'm a fan of Ernest Hemingway work and specifically The Old Man and the Sea. I researched the relationship he had with the captain of his boat for 20 years, Gregorio Fuentes, and that inspired me to write a screenplay about it.

Everything I do in my life is very instinctual and in the moment. If I'm attracted to something, that's it. If I have reservations, those don't change till they're resolved. My first impression is how I go.

I wish we didn't have to tell this story.