Otherness is a big thing for me. I'm always drawn to characters that live lives that I couldn't lead.

When I was growing up, books took me away from my life to a solitary place that didn't feel lonely. They celebrated the outcasts, people who sat on the margins of society contemplating their interiors. . . Books were my cure for a romanticized unhappiness, for the anxiety of impending adulthood. They were all mine, private islands with secret passwords only the worthy could utter.

By the first week of shooting, you know exactly where your film is heading based on the psychology of your director.

But now I really don't want to work unless I really, really care about a project.

All the movies that I make in some ways have to be the story of my life. There are different chapters in my life.

It's very hard for me to get a new car. It's really hard for me to get a new house. It's really hard for me to move on from the things that give me stability.

My definition of a friend is somebody who adores you even though they know the things you're most ashamed of.