"Ordinary People is a really important movie to me, because it was a movie I watched and had the spark of idea that I wanted to be an actress. Basically because of Timothy Hutton’s performance, and the visceral nature of that movie, the rawness of the emotion. I think at a young age — I was fourteen or fifteen — I felt like I could relate to him, and then this weird thing happened where I felt like I was him. While I was watching the movie, I felt like I was feeling exactly what he was feeling, and I thought, “Wow… I would love to be in a movie like that.”"

"Rossellini is a big master for me. Normally, he’s put in the box of neorealism, but I don’t think he can stay in a box. Even though his movies had incredible scripts and very incredible actors, they were so alive and happening. You always have the feeling that there is something surprising the director, like you can feel him opening up toward life. Stromboli has always been an important film for me because of how it investigates the relationship between man and nature. There is a very tight, traditional structure, but at the same time there are gaps and openings that allow the mystery to come in."

"One more. How about another film that Joseph and I were talking about last night, which is a wonderful film: Sunrise by Murnau. It’s a silent movie — I think it’s from 1927, something like that. And it’s one of the most beautifully shot movies you’ll ever, ever see. Just the pinnacle of silent film art photography. Deep emotions of, again, almost operatic story. There’s a lot of nature in it, there’s a lot of water, fire, sunrises, and sunsets that are connected to the story. Human emotions and consciousness and yearnings and failings and karma. It comes from a short story, and a very beautiful film."