When I am shooting a film I never think of how I want to shoot something; I simply shoot it.

I didn't like university life much at Bologna. The subjects I studied - economics and business administration - didn't interest me. I wanted to make films. I was glad when I was graduated. Yet it's odd; on graduation day, I was overcome with a terrible sadness. I realized that my youth was over and now the struggle had begun.

Often to understand, we have to look into emptiness.

If an actor tries to understand too much, he will act in an intellectual and unnatural manner.

When I'm sure I have a story, I call my collaborators and we begin to discuss it. And we conduct studies of certain subjects to make sure of our terrain. Then, finally, in the last month or two, I write the story.

Till now I have never shot a scene without taking account of what stands behind the actors because the relationship between people and their surroundings is of prime importance.

I've made films about the middle classes because I know them best. Everyone talks about what he knows best.