There were certain things that I watched, and I screened a series of period films as well, not because I wanted to copy those, because I wanted to be different. “Far from the Madding Crowd” was one I looked to because I thought it looked so good. “Doctor Zhivago.” Unrequited love is always a great thing. “Tess” was something I looked at, I thought Polanski got the period right.

Just in the past few years - since I've been making movies, which isn't a very long time - you now have a culture that is fascinated and informed about the box office in a way that sometimes filmmakers weren't even.

The future is now. It's time to grow up and be strong. Tomorrow may well be too late.

I would be more frightened as a writer if people thought my movies were like science fiction.

I felt, if I'm going to take on some of the most overdone material, which is men and women and affairs and betrayal of friends, I had better have a new take on it. I think my films come from a desperation not to be boring.

People have perhaps gotten to the point where for the most part movies are a just bit of escape.

My business is can I create a world that's possible and could happen? I think that's the only thing that I have to do, and I think that I have done that each time.