Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

“I learned with 'Birdman' that it's liberating when you just lose yourself and go after something that terrifies you.”

“I understand Sean Penn. He has every right to look for El Chapo.”

“Filmmaking can give you everything, but at the same time, it can take everything from you.”

“Very little is known about Hugh Glass as a real guy that existed 200 years ago, except that he was attacked by a bear, betrayed and left for dead, and has to survive in the winter. I said, 'What really drives a human to survive those conditions?'”

“I think films are bigger than structure.”

“I can't understand the conditions of a corporate product being designed and getting millions. I admire it, it's great, but I don't know how to do that. I have to have the wheel.”

“To question your own process is a necessity. If you don't question yourself, it's impossible to improve.”

“We are the only alive creatures that are mortals; the animals are immortal, which is why they live stupidly. We are the only creatures that know that we will die, but that is a gift. It's important because we know we have to take advantage and squeeze life and understand why we're here in the first place.”

“The creative process is mysterious; a conversation, a ride in the car, or a melody can trigger something.”

“I'm usually very critical of myself.”

“I think musically.”

“Sad music, I always thought, is more beautiful than other music. But at the same time, I am in my personal life a very happy guy. I have a sense of humor. I am not the kind of depressed guy all the time brooding. No. I am very enthusiastic about things.”

“Sometimes reading scripts is terrible.”

“Movies started out as an extension of a magic trick, so making a spectacle is part of the game.”

“When I went to university, I finally got exposed to European films, and they had a strong impact on me. I felt those films had a lot of things to say that weren't getting expressed in the films I was used to seeing.”

“'Biutiful' is not about death. It's about life. It's a hymn to life.”

“'Ikiru' is existential but with a lot of tenderness.”

“I like to make films, but the only reason I do is because I'm a very bad musician.”

“To direct actors is difficult. To direct actors in another language is more difficult, but directing non-actors in another language is one of the craziest things that I have done and one of the most rewarding experiences I have had.”

“If I had been at an assembly line for films, I don't know if I would be the best driver. I think I would have crashed the car.”