The movies I made early on may not have been great, but they were all commercially successful.

I tend to fight for something that I believe in.

I've been to therapists my whole life. I find the less attention I pay to food, the healthier I am. Any obsession is dangerous. And a whole country that's obsessed with one thing, unless it's, like, jeans, it's very dangerous. Everyone's obsessed right now with carbohydrates in this country. It's ridiculous.

This life that I've led has been really well suited for me.

I'm incredibly naive.

Our society doesn't want to help girls like that [in Black Snake Moan]. They just want to use them.

When I was younger, I did self-mutilate. I'd be upset, so I'd do it, & it would calm me down. It's a horrible way to feel better. But there are two parts of your brain - one that really wants to destroy the other. & sometimes the idea of self-destruction is very romantic. I got over that.