I want to make movies that pierce people’s hearts and touch them in some way, even if it’s just for the night while they’re in the cinema; in that moment, I want to bring actual tears to their eyes and goosebumps to their skin.
When I was a little kid, I used to really embarrass my parents.
I really feel sorry for people who are, who divide their whole life up into ‘things that I like’ and ‘things that I must do.’ You’re only here for a short time, mate. Learn to like it.
In tyranny lies only failure. Empower every man and you will gain strength.
When you’re heading into Anzac cove you are going into this battle situation staring into the sun. So, any movement in that water, any glint is going to be seen for miles away. Even in the first rays of dawn, there’s nowhere to hide.
If I don’t get the goose-bump factor when I’m reading it than I can’t do it.
I don’t know if I was ever looking for this kind of success- it came along as a by-product of concentrating on what I was doing.
Some of the things you read you get an immediate reaction to so I’ve stopped reading things now. I do worry about my family though. Some people do try some nasty things to get at them and try and get a reaction from them.
Once you’re a parent, male or female, every single thing that happens in your life is seen through the prism of being a parent.
The important thing to me is that I’m not driven by people’s praise and I’m not slowed down by people’s criticism. I’m just trying to work at the highest level I can.
My children have never watched any of my films. Charlie knows that daddy makes movies, but he says they are not good enough for him to watch.
The thing about films is you learn new stuff all the time. You think you can get to a point where you’ve got it all down. But then another, different situation arises.
Iceland is fascinating; really an amazing place to visit, and great for a film to go there.
People accuse me of being arrogant all the time. I’m not arrogant, I’m focused.
I hate having long hair. It’s like walking around with a dead koala on your back!
A lot of the things that other people from outside the business would see as crazy or strange are just a natural part of the working process. Preparation is key, and detail and collaboration are the rule, but no matter how many hours you spend preparing, there’s always something.
Even bad men love their mamas.
It’s such an intimate experience, being a director, artistically. It’s deep and it’s satisfying and it’s wonderful, on so many levels, but it’s also really scary.
Nobody wants zealotry in a police force, you know? You do want to know that the guy who’s got that badge, is confident enough to judge a certain level of benign corruption. Like a man steals some food to feed his starving children.
If I’m creating the composition, it’s easier for me as an actor because I’ve just cut out the middle man. Because I’ve created the composition and now I’m in it, I already know exactly what I want to get out of it. So, bang!
From an over-arching point-of-view, in war there is heroism on both sides. Obviously, the victor gets the spoils, the victor gets to write history, but there’s heroism and compassion on both sides, and to me that’s very important.