Quotes

[on his time at Harvard, working with writer-director Damien Chazelle] Damien and I really bonded over this shared philosophy sophomore year of working really hard and sacrificing ... I remember we would really egg each other on and make each other feel guilty for not working hard enough. And we just had a lot of conversations about how we both wanted to be really, really good at what we do, and what it would take.

[on composing La La Land (2016)] it was two and a half years of nonstop work, going to bed into the wee hours of the night - 1,900 piano demos. Orchestrating every note myself. An unbelievable amount of work and an unbelievable amount of passion. I had to be so passionate about it to keep up with it. I got sick because I wasn't sleeping enough.

[on stripping Harvey Weinstein from Academy membership following allegations of sexual assault and abuse] As a new member, I don't know much about disciplinary precedents, but I would personally like to see him removed. I think anything we can do to create a culture of accountability, and to show support for women who have been victimized by this kind of behavior, is a good thing.