Everybody has to know where they're coming from, what they're doing, why they're doing it, who they are. These are essentials.

I think in life we get very caught up in the minutia and, unfortunately, it generally takes some sort of tragedy in your life to put things in perspective.

Life is a series of avoiding horrible situations until ultimately you're dead. That's how I feel about things.

When I'm filming a kill scene [as a director], I just get happier and happier as we chop up body parts.

Creative writing and shooting are muscles that atrophy. But when you work them, you become a self-generator who can branch out.

'Beatrice Cenci' was an amazing film. If it were released today it'd win Best Picture. It's so well done, it's so contemporary, and the filmmaking is so smart.

My phobias worsen as I get older. I'm scared of flying, driving. I'm terrified of sharks. I'm a germaphobe. But I try to face my fears; I do. Well, most of them.