After I left college, I went to work at the Royal Opera House in London, which became a real catalyst for me because it made me realize that I was interested in cinema and in the way life is thrust at you. So I started making films.

I wanted to become an artist because it meant endless possibilities. Art was a way of reinventing myself.

I remember as a kid not ever wanting to have friends around to my house because it was, for want of a better description, disheveled.

I often joke that I straddle psychosis and neurosis, and that being an artist keeps me in the middle, so I can work between the two.

My favorite part of the whole filmmaking process is working with a fantastic cinematographer, a fantastic actor or actors, and then just creating emotions and stories. I get so excited by that. That's the part I'm utterly addicted to.

My childhood had its challenges, like everyone's. It imbued me with certain things and took away others. It made me very determined.

People in love don't see gender, colour or religion. Or age. It's about the other person, the one that you love and who loves you. You don't think of them in terms of a label. You just go with your heart.