When I arrived at Columbia, I gave up acting and became interested in all things French. French poetry, French history, French literature.
I enjoy a challenge or provocation, something to think about, to talk about after it’s done.
I have an eclectic taste in stuff whether it be movies or music or books or food or anything. Variety is interesting.
If you do or don’t like something it’s because of that thing and not because it has the right politics behind them or the right company or the right connections. It’s really just about the thing itself.
My favorite kinds of movies are the ones that start a conversation.
I think violence begets violence. I don’t think a way to solve any sort of conflict is with violence because nothing ever ends up solved, that way.
If you look at all the movies that have made tons of money, almost all of them are great movies. Even Titanic. I think Titanic is a great movie.
I think the reason I was able to get the jobs I did is because I worked for some very strong, self-possessed filmmakers who wouldn’t listen to the executive-suited wisdom, and they believed in me from director to actor. Not from salesman to commodity.
Even when I was really young, I hated doing commercials, because I would say, “That’s not real acting.” And it’s not. It’s embarrassing what they make little kids do in commercials.
Making little videos that you know are going to be on tiny windows is a whole different thing. I don’t know what it’s going to lead to necessarily, but it’s certainly fun.
The traditions of Hollywood are grand and great and are going to survive forever, in a way. But they’re not going to be the only way for much longer. The technology is such now that you don’t have to have millions of dollars to make a movie. You can make one with a computer.
Hollywood can be an exclusive place. Who gets to be on TV, or who gets to make TV can be a small clique of an industry. There’s so many talented, skilled people, all over the world, that might not have the connections or the opportunities to work in TV.
Kids play pretend. I think that kids can be the best actors.
The truth of actually working on a movie set is that you’re in the midst of a logistical nightmare. There are so many things going on. There are many factors that keep your ideal scenario from ever happening. And you’re rarely going to get that.
I want to keep working with people that care about what they’re doing. It seems obvious, but it’s not. It’s sometimes hard to keep on that track.
I think any time you set out to make something, anybody is going to be confronted by those voices in their head that say “You don’t need to do this. Someone else can do this better. You should probably just quit right now.”
Don’t we want to escape our real world and go into something larger than that, simpler than that, more beautiful or darker?
I think our culture is sick and tired of fluffy nonsense and people want something more sincere and heartfelt.
If the inspiration is genuine and it’s coming from the right place, that’s what I like and want to be a part of.
The term ‘popular culture’ always used to mean what the people do – pop songs, folk songs, music in general used to live because people would sing these songs and tell these stories together. Then all of these new technologies came out and it became the work of professionals.
I do feel that even though I didn’t grow up being a big sci-fi fan or comic books or superhero fan, I felt myself definitely gravitate towards these movies that have a high concept and yet they’re giving you a moral dilemma within that.