Film is an oversimplification of things. That it really boils things down and makes them too simple.

I don't think Muslims do hate America. I think that's what we hear and that's what we believe. I don't think that's true.

I enjoy telling these stories that I ultimately think get a disservice on a lot of network television. I enjoy getting people to change their perspective. I enjoy pushing myself into learning and understanding things from a very different point of view. It's scary to do that. It's scary to kind of put yourself in somebody else's position.

Part of living is understanding where the fringes are. Once you know how far people go, you can say, "Well, here's how I choose to represent myself."

By what you decide to put on your body, for example, you're already making a personal judgement. That's an incredible thing that happens...we set our own standards even before we walk out the door. Most of the time, those standards are self insulting. Most of the time we belittle ourselves, because we can't have the things we think we're suppose to have. That's what we've bought into.

Film is such a powerful medium. It can really affect change; you can affect so many different people in different ways.

I think that I'm pretty much who you see onscreen. Are there times when I ask questions of people and have a sense of what their answer may be? Sure. I think that you can't deny that. But you still want to hear from that person, even though you may anticipate what they may say. I am as natural right now as I am when I talk to somebody in the Middle East. It's just trying to be a real person to them. So long as I can be as honest with myself when I make a movie like that, I can continue to be honest with you.