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

I am not a fan of improvisation, because it bores me. Working off a tight scenario gives you the confidence and ability to - why don't we change this a little bit and bring it back to the script. You always discover things while shooting.

I always think once you have the lead protagonist, you cast around that character.

It's the hardest thing for an actor not to speak because you take away their main tool. So for an actor, it's very frustrating and very challenging, and very few people can pull it off. Some actors can say a thousand words with just a look, and it's a unique gift.

I think the idea was to make a horror film that became a science-fiction film with a lot of melodramatic tropes.

My initial idea was I wanted to make it a horror film, very much. At times I do enter that world.

That's half of what we do our daily lives - we react to our surroundings. Of course, we have to make it entertaining, and we are entertainers.