Working with [Robert] De Niro taught me a lot about being an actor's director.

I've realized that being happy is a choice.

I wanted to educate myself about the world and I wanted to know what was happening to people in other countries. I feel now I have only just begun.

And it is a very important thing to be and do, if not the most important 'cause how you interpret a story can then make the difference. So it is a very powerful thing to be. And when misused, it's very sad.

I think I connect to people who could be written off as wild or dark, or who are just full of fire and looking for a place to put that fire. It's an important lesson to learn, and it's something I did learn: you live on behalf of others and you're happier and you have purpose. And you have a great excuse to have all that fire.

Films that I want to do are few and far between.

To do something good, it has to scare you.