Retirement? You're talking about death, right?

The Oscar for the films, it'd be nice. But I don't make those kind of films, and I don't think that will ever happen.

Chance is another name that we give to our mistakes. And all of the best things in my films are mistakes.

I was scared that no one would hire me. At that time, there was still a stigma attached to it. A big stigma. Actually, I think I was healthier after the operation than some people who have bypass surgery because I was completely cured. But when you mentioned "heart transplant," you got a very negative reaction. It triggered people's imaginations, and not in a good way.

They'll never give me an Oscar. And I sincerely, honestly don't care. I always turn up when I'm nominated and it would be nice to get one, but to win one would be bad luck. It comes with too much expectation. It would be the end.

All of my films deal with the same thing: striving, socially and culturally, to stay alive.

Titanic I thought was the most dreadful piece of work I've ever seen in my entire life. Another film that I think is equally bad was American Beauty. So badly acted and directed. But people like that.