Quotes

I have seen so few films in which the sex felt really respected by the filmmaker. Hollywood too often shies away from it or makes adolescent jokes about it. ... Sex is only connected to the negative because people are scared of it.

There is such a reluctance to address sex as an inherent part of the human experience in this country. ... The true perversion to me is crushing it and hiding it.

Unconsciously, it may have been a prophylactic against having to use stars. It was a way to avoid waiting four to five months for them to read or not read the script. Their agents are not saying 'Read it.' I didn't have to run through the street finding the star. ... To me it's not worth it. I'd rather not do the movie. [on using stars in his movies]

I think I lost my faith in the kind of God that I was taught existed when my brother died. It kind of didn't make sense after that. I dedicate the film [Rabbit Hole] to him and to my boyfriend who died in 2004.

The bigger the budget, the more trouble there is.

I know what it's like to audition, so it's important that everybody who auditions, even if I know right off they're not right for it, has a good experience. So I'll never just have someone do one pass at it and say "Thank you".

If there's anything I know about directing, it's how to make actors comfortable. It's where I started and it's what I know, and it's what I love. I like when the actors are really partners and I want them to be excited and I want them to surprise me. I don't want them to be puzzle pieces.