The more we become civilized, the more we simultaneously understand our need to be virtuous, and our need to understand our experiences on a subconscious level.

The idea of narcissism, essentially, is and will be accepted as a virtue.

Jenna Malone was a very important piece of how the film [The Neon Demon] turned out.

Understanding one's own power is more interesting than someone being given something powerful.

Film works when a director and a star have a connection. You know, when there's something telekinetic between them, there's a partnership, it's like alter egos. It's like James Stewart and Alfred Hitchcock, or Fellini and Mastroianni. I'm not comparing, I'm just saying, if you can come into a relationship where the director and star have such a bond, it's so much easier to make a movie.

Everything we do is about the emotion of the characters. We believe the better the emotion, the better the movie.

The kind of group mentality that we had lived under since the Second World War is starting to erupt, and the craving for individualism is now much stronger. It's not as taboo anymore, as it was when I was younger.