The beauty of the original monster movies is that you were able to relate to every single character, or even to treat their monstrosity as an emotional metaphor.

Sleeping and water are lifesavers - that's true beauty right there.

When I was dancing, whether it was the music or the story, the question was 'Why am I doing this piece, and why am I dancing?' It is exactly the same when you are acting. You have a very close relationship with your body movement. You have to find the physicality of your character.

When I was little, I went to the Sahara desert and met an older woman with beautiful earrings that came all the way down to her stomach. She told me, 'For us Tuareg, jewelry is not meant for decoration. It absorbs negative energy that comes your way.' So think twice when you buy a vintage ring!

It is conventional to call 'monster' any blending of dissonant elements. I call 'monster' every original inexhaustible beauty.

I began to see the character more as a metaphor for how a person survives and manages to maintain his innocence. I just love the bravery and elegance with which he faces the violence in the world.