“My film (Black Venus) had been very emotionally draining and difficult because I had identified so much with the lead character, Saartjie Baartman.”

I have many projects in various states of development. Some are on paper and some are in my head. But as I go on, I feel the need to be guided in my choices.

I gave him a bunch of ideas and then Vincent helped guide me and develop this particular film. I enjoy that rapport to have somebody else help guide me in my choices for the next film.

The poetic way of looking at it is which project is going to choose me as a director.

What really enthralls me is working with the actor and seeing where you can go with that. It’s in that exchange and that relationship.

The importance is getting to something truthful and in that moment can only be in that moment. I don’t like to use the word “improvise,” but it’s a continual writing of the film.

To use an image, making a film is like climbing a mountain or crossing an ocean. Every day has its challenges.

The writing of the script is a continual process. There’s the first draft and then many, many re-writes here and there.

This film [ Blue is the Warmest Color] actually is the result of me talking with my producer Vincent [Maraval].

I didn’t really think in terms of clichés or non-clichés.

I grew up in and identify with and that she works and exists in.

When it comes time to make the scenes concrete and shoot them, I want the freedom for it to exist which means adding, subtracting or modifying.

I don’t come to work as an actor. There are many directors who can direct without ever having acted and do a great job and connect with their actors and lead them to excellent performances without themselves having had an acting background.

Every day, there’s that tension and the pressure. Each scene that you shoot is like getting to that next step, but there’s still that mountain to climb. So it’s not like one day is harder or one scene is harder. They are all equally challenging.

There are very few people who can withstand the losses emotionally and still stick with the system. Probably only one in five hundred people has the necessary discipline to be successful.

There is no need to engage in a mental dialogue about the merits and demerits of the fish, emotionally react to the fish, or jump into the water to try to catch the fish. Once the fish is out of sight, it should also be out of mind.

He or she may begin to believe that there is something wrong with them or even fear they are losing their mind. They have become so beaten down emotionally that they blame themselves for the abuse.

The doctor that acts out of love doesn’t burn out. He or she may get tired physically, but not emotionally.

Husbands financially and economically supported wives, while wives emotionally, psychologically and socially supported husbands. He brought home the bacon, she cooked it. He fixed the plumbing, she the psyche.

Just throw me in a time machine, hit random, and wherever I land would be great… Just being thrown into a different time really fascinates me.

It all started when I got injured early in my second season. This turned out to be as difficult emotionally as physically.

When I get a very generous introduction like that I explain that I’m emotionally moved, but on the other hand I’m Irish and the Irish are very emotionally moved. My mother is Irish and she cries during beer commercials.