I really dislike it when women reject feminism; that's ridiculous. I am a product of feminism. Without feminism I would not be making films.

There's absolutely no point in beating yourself up. Focus on going forward.

I just don't think I'm an ideological filmmaker in any way. I don't know how anyone could see anything I've done and see that.

I make unpopular versions of popular things. I make a horror film and it's not a horror film. None of my genre movies function as genre movies.

Punk rock, when I was a part of it, was called 'the underground.' There was something very attractive in all the hidden places, the hidden histories.

Mostly I'm just not American. I spent four years of my childhood here, but I think if you're Canadian you have a very different perspective. You don't think you're at the center of things.

One thing I'm not is a moralistic filmmaker. I'm not trying to tell people what to do, and I'm not trying to lead.

Movies are a commitment. They take years of your life and they have big consequences. That's one of the bad things about movies - you're stuck with the aftermath.

I'm not trying to make the world a better place.

Some actors can draw from their own darkness.

The good part of working in TV is it's like being a studio director in old Hollywood and approaching different genres. It's a chance to try out different styles.

In that moment I’m able to accept the inevitability of how I feel, though not with joy. I need to talk to someone. I need to trust someone. And for whatever reason, I know, I know it’s her.

Hey. My life’s not all about weird little creatures pretending to be teddy bears.” From Tribe of the Teddy Bear.

The children in Holland take pleasure in making What the children in England take pleasure in breaking.

A lot of young actors will do a scene and then run off and look at themselves. I don't believe in that at all

The stuff that works best is driven by passion rather than dollars.

Who does not love his own tongue is far worse than a brute or stinking fish.

Alan Rickman told me to do a play, so I did. Because when Alan Rickman tells you do something, you go and do it.

There was already a famous Sternberg in psychology and it was obvious there would not be another.

Power is winning the battle over who owns the customer: the brand or the retailer.

Strict orthodoxy can cost too much if it has to be bought at the price of love. All the orthodoxy in the world will never take the place of love.