When I did 'Gilbert Grape,' Lasse Hallstrom let me be on the set with him and in the editing room and in the casting sessions and so on. And so I got a firsthand, rather intimate, high-pressure look at how to make a film.
If there's a photo of a roomful of kids I'm the one with the biggest smile or my hand over my face.
Black people are more likely to be incarcerated than white people. That's just a fact and it's regrettable and it's got to change.
The Orpheus myth is my favorite myth, and the prodigal son is my favorite parable.
Maudlin scenes where people pour their heart out to one another? I don't want to see it.
I grew up in a very loving but very broken family, and I suppose that's why I'm drawn to telling stories about well-intentioned people who are doing their best - but are not always successful - in figuring out how to maneuver through this complicated, bumpy and broken world.