Jean-Marc Vallee

“Trust the acting.”

“You tell me what you listen to, and I'll tell you who you are.”

“There's a way of filming where you can get rid of the vanity and of trying to make something beautiful.”

“Whether it's in America, Quebec, or France, if I can tell a story that takes me out of my comfort zone, then I'm surfing.”

“When I see great film, I have this feeling of 'Oh, wow! Wasn't that great? Wasn't that good?' I want to do something. I want to scream and go out there and participate and embrace life.”

“In a career, when you hit 40 and you've done a lot of this and that, you want to try some new things. I feel like that as a director, too, from one film to the other.”

“Just film what's there, trust what came before, one hour before, and make it easy.”

“I respect the British a lot - their history, their past, their culture. I think it's beautiful, what they have with the monarchy.”

“Rock was my thing. It influences me and moves me, and it's music that gives me ideas or wings to fly and to make films.”

“I like character-driven stuff that shows humanity and something that can make people think.”

“I have two sons, and at 16, they were into Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, and a lot of British rock.”

“I had written 'Cafe de Flore' with 'Stairway to Heaven' in mind.”

“I couldn't stand still at a desk for another year. I wanted to go out there and make films.”

“You've got to trust your instincts, your judgment and trust the storytelling that came before and the quality of the acting with the emotion.”

“'Sharp Objects' was scary, unknown territory for me. I wouldn't pick this kind of material to direct if you just gave me the book. Amy Adams was the force that drove me in.”

“It's tough to work with kids. Kids are animals!”

“As a director, try to be humble and not to overdo it, not overcoverage and over-covering the scene.”

“It can be a machine. The machine tries to make money and forget about the heart and the art. Hollywood is more about making money.”

“Adam Scott sings like a bird... He's so bad. He's so bad.”