"But I notice that there is a lack of darkness in my movies and I don't know where that comes from."

"I love involving actors at all levels - and they have to know that I want to hear their contributions, with dialogue, with story suggestions, with script changes, whatever."

"I was always attracted by the European way of life, but I am deeply Swedish."

"My father would tell anyone who would listen that this dentist thing he was doing was not his passion; cinematography was."

"Many of the comedies I had made in Sweden were slightly based on semi-autobiographical experiences, so adapting novels was a very different experience."

"Cinema has become a global economy, totally international."

"I think I avoid stepping into sentimentality by trying to be as truthful as possible with performances."

"A film that is bleached tends to have a more realistic quality."

"My father was an amateur filmmaker who shot 8mm color documentaries."

"I can't go back and label myself as an outcast because I was a pretty well-adjusted kid, but I can certainly relate to the feeling of being an outsider."

"I'm on this diet where you're supposed to eat only fish and meat."

"ABBA: The Movie; I got a lot of grief for working on that."

"I really want to have actors contribute their own ideas, with phrasings and ideas on all levels."

"I always try to preserve my cinematographic style, even while I work in the US. I wish to always be European."

"My key interest in choosing scripts is character-driven stories, because there are so many stories that sacrifice character for plot."

"I always need a couple of highlights to really spark the passion for a project."

"It was important on The Shipping News to have my house far enough away from each location so I had this time in the morning to think about my shots and still remain open to surprises once I got to the set."

"But now I wish I could back to Stockholm to make international films there."

"My films do have characters who have trouble escaping the world around them."

"I love mixing amateurs and professionals."

"I am always more interested in performance and character depiction, and my direction says as much."

"Kevin, as the whole cast is, just wonderful people and great people, and people who are attracted to this kind of material and accepting the idea of going to Newfoundland and knowing the kind of lack of amenities."

"I love improvising."

"I discovered the 7th art at home when I was kid, through Charlie Chaplin's movies and those of my father who shot documentaries. He was my biggest influence. So I took his camera and started shooting."

"It's just, for me, the natural standard: a woman should be able to decide over her own body."