I decided that, somehow, I had to get out of there and go to Hollywood. I had never been to America.

I think that villains who are just brawn, muscles and weapons are boring. So I always try to find intelligence in my villains and also a sense of humor whenever that is possible.

In Finland, getting a university degree is the first thing that you expect your kids to do.

Just live in the moment and not be afraid to try things out and make mistakes.

Ford Fairlane was one of those movies that was so much fun to make that it was bound not to be a big hit.

Several times we were stranded in strange places without any money and with our credit cards cancelled - trapped in a hotel that we couldn't check out of because we had no money to check out.

A government institution called the Finnish Film Foundation funds filmmaking there, and I wrote several screenplays but never got any money. They were sent back to me, and they said that they were too commercial for them.