I wrote 'Hereafter' quickly and without mapping it out too much or being too schematic. As an exercise, I think that was incredibly important.

Movies feel like work, and reading fiction feels like work, whereas reading nonfiction feels like pleasure.

It's really a lovely feeling to write knowing that failure is taken off the table because if it's bad you just never show it to anyone.

You're working with other people and sometimes it doesn't work out the way you want, and sometimes you didn't realise what a mistake you've made until you see it projected.

If you're growing up in times of peace and live in a country where there's plenty of food and good healthcare, you grow up without any relationship with death.

I never go back over something I've done and I never watch them again.

You don't really work together with Clint Eastwood. I mean, he takes the script and he shoots it - and he shoots it very faithfully.