I grew up in a place where no one knew anyone in the entertainment business, I never knew it was an actual career.

Go out and make something that reflects your interests, your taste, and your ideas. No one will pay you to make something until you have a few things you can show that you've directed. I got my start by making short films on my own.

Tom [Cruise] is a great producer himself. He's got great sense of story. It's always great to have the perspective of the person who's playing the character in your film.

I think the excitement of movies is discovering stuff you weren't expecting, and I hope to preserve that.

Certainly there's pressure while your making the movie.

Hopefully, great science fiction films help you think about issues that relate to yourself, whether it's: What's my purpose? Why am I here? What is it that makes me who I am? Those are the kind of questions my favorite science fiction films ask.

Once I got out of architecture school I decided not to be an architect, I just started my own little design studio.