I don't really know what is shocking. When you tell the story of a man who is beheaded, you have to show how they cut off his head. If you don't, it's like telling a dirty joke and leaving out the punch line.

I still had some honor... I still have some now.

To the audience it doesn't really matter how much the director struggled with an actor. It's the result that counts.

It's easy to direct while acting - there's one less person to argue with.

The best films are because of nobody but the director.

Some experience is helpful. "The Pianist" was a film that I could make with my eyes closed because I had lived it and everything was still alive in me.

I sometimes cry in the moments that are not necessarily dramatic or tragic in the films, often because of the music. I wonder whether it's the music that has that effect on you in this film.