I really look for peak experiences and dramatic material that can allow peak experiences.

Cinema has the capacity to be so physiological.

Whereas painting is a more rarefied art form, with a limited audience, I recognized film as this extraordinary social tool that could reach tremendous numbers of people.

I realised that there's a more muscular approach to film-making that I found very inspiring.

Character and emotionality don't always have to be relegated to quieter, more simple constructs.

I'm drawn to provocative characters that find themselves in extreme situations. And I think I'm drawn to that consistently.

My dad used to draw these great cartoon figures. His dream was being a cartoonist, but he never achieved it, and it kind of broke my heart. I think part of my interest in art had to do with his yearning for something he could never have.