To me, casting is all about finding a character within the actor off the screen as much as on the screen.

I feel very strongly about the legacy of Ghost and I'm the next part of that chapter and hopefully a very long and continuing story through the franchise of Ghost in the Shell which is already a huge universe. So yes, I felt pressure, but you always feel pressure as an artist creatively in any endeavour you do, so you just have to do the best that you can do and then hope that is successful.

I'm influenced by a lot of filmmakers; I like English filmmakers because I feel a kin to them.

To me, casting is all about finding a character within the actor off the screen as much as on the screen.

Our story is a 'once upon a time', but it's not a 'happy ever after'.

I read every screenplay that was being sent to the other directors. None were being sent to me, but I was reading what others were choosing and what the best writers were writing.

I think it's possible to make a blockbuster that is actually emotional. They don't need to be mutually exclusive.