Well I'd really love to work with Robert De Niro, because he's still the most talented actor out there.

I really subscribe to that old adage that you should never let the audience get ahead of you for a second. So if the film's abrasive and wrongfoots people then, y'know, that's great. But I hope it involves an audience.

How do I respond to criticism? Critically. I listen to all criticism critically.

My dad was this sort of avant-garde guy who did all kinds of weird things. He was a true original and anybody who met him never forgot him.

You have to be a brat in order to carve out your parameters, and you have to be a monster to anyone who gets in your way. But sometimes it's difficult to know when that's necessary and when you're just being a baby, throwing your rattle from the cage.

To make a film, the final big collaborator that you have is the composer.

There’s a lot for screenwriters to steal from songwriters, in terms of getting to the point.