The friendship that you create between you and a mom - or you and an older woman figure - is so important and so influential. I think that my relationship with my sister, my relationship with my best friends - when I'm feeling really terrible about myself, they're always there to let me know that I am being dramatic about something, or I'm being stupid about something - it's good to have those kinds of people to drag you back down and protect you.

People used to always talk down to me, like, "Oh, you're so young," but now I recognize that my age is an advantage; there's a lot more I can do.

An 11 year old sister has been taught by the media that her body is an object, will be compared to other bodies, and that it holds more significance than her mind or talent. This should not be the first thing she learns. This should not be her first social experience.

I would consider myself American in the way of what the actual idea that's in the Constitution is, not the way that it's performed: All men are created equal, freedom for all, that's something that I obviously believe in. I don't consider myself American because I'm not sure if those are the values that we actually prioritize as much as we need to, but I consider myself American if you look at the Constitution.

There is just something that people taught me in general for self-care, would just be to spend some time alone and to protect yourself. Learning to say no is something that helps in that, and what you're comfortable with and what you're not comfortable with, and finding the line. That's it. Otherwise it's just going to be really hard.

I put a lot of pressure on myself early in my life, like, "You have to be perfect; you can't do anything." You basically can't show any emotion and speak up. And then I realized that I have to live my life for myself.

It was nice to be reminded of how much hard work goes into movies, and how as a director, it's your job to acknowledge and channel that hard work. She's amazing at that.