French is a foreign language, but I've been speaking it since I was 18 so it's second nature to me.

I am sure that, had I grown up with both parents, had I grown up in a safe environment, had I grown up with a feeling of safety rather than danger, I would not be the way I am.

I was very lost as a teenager. Which is a horrible way to feel.

Exoticism can give you an edge: it makes people assume you're cleverer than you are and gives you the upper hand.

I know I can be bolshy and really unpleasant, and it always happens if I lose confidence in the people I'm working with. If I've got no confidence in what I'm doing and they don't provide me with some assurance that we're doing the right thing then I bully people. I'm a horrible bully.

It takes a long time to appreciate one's parents.

I love shooting French films because I don't have to stick with being sophisticated or stuck-up.