Barry Jenkins

“I was hiding behind athletics and all my jockitude, so I didn't have to deal with being ostracized as the weird art kid.”

“'Moonlight' changed me. To see people so moved by this movie inspires me to find something else to offer. And maybe the next one touches only five people or maybe just one person. To me, you know, that would still be worth it.”

“To me, no matter who you're casting for what role, if something's authentic, usually you can mine something good there.”

“How did I feel as a guy who was making a movie about a single mom who's a crackhead? That - I was scared. I mean, it was scary. But part of that's because it was so personal and real to me.”

“As a person of color from the South, San Francisco was the first city that really made me feel like an other.”

“I really sort of kept to myself. I kind of just watched the world. And I think to keep people from messing with me, yeah, you know, I went out to run track. I went out for the football team. Not because I love track or love football.”

“There's nothing in Hollywood that's inherently detrimental to good art. I think that's a fallacy that we've created because we frame the work that way too overtly. 'This is Hollywood.' 'This isn't Hollywood.' It's like, 'No, this is actually all Hollywood.' People are just framing them differently.”

“I'm so damn boring. I like reading and writing and making coffee. And walking. Barry Jenkins likes long walks.”

“'Moonlight' isn't an issue film. It's not about addiction, it's not about sexuality, it's not about identity. It's about all these different layers, because they are all a part of the character.”

“I think everybody can identify, you know, with this sort of struggle to decide for yourself who you are, you know, and what your place in life is.”

“If you try to create something that everybody can relate to, you're gonna make something that nobody can relate to.”

“The way I work, things are very nuanced; not everything is explained.”

“You walk on a set, and you have no idea - that's why I don't storyboard. It's all possible.”