Casting is very instinctual. I really like to meet people. To me, it's about their essence more than their audition.

I think hope is key, in life and in art.

I'm very jealous of actors that swoop in for 20 days, and then swoop back out. When you're a director, you're on that train for the next two years, so you best love it like you've never loved anything, ever.

Life, to me, is never one color. Even in the saddest moments, you can have a chuckle. And in the happiest moments, you can shed a tear.

If you're gonna take people on a journey that deals with some pretty heavy themes, I think you best have a sense of humor, here and there.

The test for me, when I read other people's scripts, is whether I feel like there's something about me that is the best person to tell this story. I have a pretty high bar for myself. There's a lot of scripts that I read and think, "Oh, this is great, but I think there are 50 other directors who could bring this to the cinema."

It takes forever to make a film. It's a gargantuan thing of untold effort.