I really didn't want to become branded as 'that multistructural guy.'

In my work I think what drives me is perfection. I'm a chronically unsatisfied guy.

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?'

Movies become art after editing. Instead of just reproducing reality, they juxtapose images of it. That implies expression; that's art.

When I'm working, I'm insufferable because I get stuck with myself, and suddenly I become obsessive, thinking about how to make something better.

When you have something that is bothering you, and then you articulate, take the time to really express it and see it clearly, to recognize. To acknowledge that is already a liberating energy.