“My big advice is do your homework. See what’s been made before you go make your film, not because you want to copy it. You need to understand the context in which you’re making something and what’s been done before. And even watching films...
“I’m attracted to stories about problems created by adults that children have to deal with…problems not of their own making. Children didn’t create war. You don’t go into foster care because of something you did, it’s because of...
“I think the people who have done okay in this business are people who are persistent despite the desperate struggles. I mean, I’ve never had a film that didn’t have a very dark moment where I really wanted out. And I hated the subject, I hated the...
“It’s not how much money you have. It’s not what you’ve accomplished. It’s not the failures. Your character is everything. Everybody’s got a window of time when you’re relevant, and then your time ends and you’re out of...
“Talent is something that we earn, that we earn through grit, through perseverance, through sort of through a willingness to return to the same task and try to do it a little bit better the next time. I believe it’s a process, it’s a creative process...
