Because my parents had given me tremendous respect, trust, and freedom as a child, I knew how to take responsibility for myself. If you're constantly being told "No, don't do that" or "We don't trust you," you can't develop that responsibility.

Directing is much more psychological-it's a lot like being a general. And you have to be organized. While you're making a film, you have between two and 500 people asking you a billion questions.

You have to stop yourself from even thinking about failing.

People have become so literal because they're used to reality-based television.

When I'm sculpting, I work with wood and clay, and though some say that an image is already in the material and the sculptor just has to discover it, I also believe you have an image in your head that you're trying to get to. So you're in a dialogue with the piece, a back-and-forth.

I lived in Indonesia for four years and I understand trance and magic and where it comes from.

A performance can have amazing visuals and special effects, but it has to tell a good story, even if that story isn't original.