I don't want to show kids that I am smoking.

I wanted to prove that I could do something, so I made a short film. That was in fact my main concern, to be able to show that I could do one.

We were so ready [with Valerian] that we were early, which is unheard of in the history of the sci-fi film.

I think it's the society that drains us out, and we are in a society where we are driven by money.

I said if I made 10 films in my life, I would be very lucky. That's how I meant it. My fear after my first one was whether they would let me make another one, so I had this goal in my head.

I did The Fifth Element and [Jean-Claude] Mezieres, the artist of Valerian; he was working on Fifth Element. And he's actually the one who say, why don't you do Valerian? And I said because we can't make it. And you really have to wait for Avatar and to suddenly think oh okay, maybe we can think of it. But before Avatar, just forget it.

Cara [Delevingne] I wanted to be sure that she would be involved. 'Cause she didn't do a lot of films before I met her, so I didn't know if she was serious and so I push her a bit.