I try to stay out of the public eye as much as possible because I want people to be able to watch my films and not be distracted.

I love Ellen [Page] like family. And even if we don't hang out all the time, she's still just somebody that always has a place in my heart.

Working with men like Al Pacino, Tommy Lee Jones, Michael Douglas, Edward Norton, David Morse, and Kevin Costner, you have to step up and look them dead in the eye and, you know, scare them. I can see it when it happens, and they don't know it's coming. It's the best look on any man's face when he gets paired with a woman and he doesn't expect her to kick his ass. I'm not saying I've kicked any of their asses, but I feel like I have held my own and said, "I am a force to be reckoned with." It's about not being intimidated. I feel it makes me a stronger woman.

I'm also a sucker for a view. Take me to a high place where I can see the landscape or the stars or the whole city, and I'm putty, I'm melting in your arms. Then I think having a romantic night, getting a little dressed up, but don't kill yourself trying to force the romance. A bunch of little subtle changes that will make the day more special will amount to a big awesome day in your memory. I like little breadcrumbs along the way. Draw it out!

I haven't got many tattoos, but the two that are most important to me are music tattoos. I have a black heart with a lightning bolt down the middle. And the black heart was for Manson and the lightning bolt down the middle was for David Bowie. I have black diamond with circles that keep swirling and swirling, and it's surrounded by sort of crazy diamonds because Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" really inspired me, and everybody's called me Crazy Diamond since I was a teenager, so it was always important to me.

I actually fell asleep during one take with Jeffrey Wright because I relaxed myself so much. I just stayed so still that I just nodded off, and kind of snapped back into it in the middle of the scene.

Dear God, I've done so many crazy hair colors and outfits and makeup looks where I look back and it's like, What the hell was I doing? You can't be afraid to make mistakes, you have to take risks. We all have those moments we look back on and wish weren't captured on film, but we're not alone in that.