I have more of a vivid imagination than I have talent. I cook up ideas. It's just a characteristic.

When I was going for my graduate degree, I decided I was going to make a feature film as my thesis. That's what I was famous for-that I had my thesis film be a feature film, which was 'You're a Big Boy Now.'

I'm no longer dependent on the movie business to make a living. So if I want to make movies as other old guys would play golf, I can.

I have much to learn from my daughter Sofia. Her minimalism exposes my limitations: I'm too instinctive and operatic, I put too much heart into my work, I get lost sometimes in bizarre things - it's my Italian heritage.

Some critics are stimulating in that they make you realise how you could do better, and those are valued.

I had a number of teachers who hated me. I didn't do well in school.

Although knowledge of structure is helpful, real creativity comes from leaps of faith in which you jump to something illogical. But those leaps form the memorable moments in movies and plays.