When you look at the early-'30s movies, like King Kong, the codes of acting are very similar to those of silent movies. In some of the silent movies - the good ones, the ones done by the best directors - the acting is very, very natural.
I think being a foreigner and talking about Hollywood allowed me to use some cliches and some references that an American would maybe not use.
But I don't think of myself as a foreigner or a Frenchman! I just think of myself as a director. Whether I'm French or Australian or whatever, it's really not important.
Hollywood is much more than America. Hollywood belongs to all of the planet.
This is the problem with language, and this is what makes silent movies fun, because the connection with them, me or the audience is not with the language. There's no question of interpretation of what we are saying it's just about feeling. You create your own story.
Sometimes when an actor says something almost perfect, but you know you have to edit it, if you tell them to change something immediately, it will come out great.
I watched a lot of silent directors who were absolutely great like John Ford and Fritz Lang, Tod Browning, and also some very modern directors like The Coen Brothers. The directors take the freedom within their own movies to be melodramatic or funny when they chose to be. They do whatever they want and they don't care about the genre.
When you do not have the dialogue to explain things, you will use everything to show and to tell the story. I think that this is what makes you believe that it is impeccable.
I try to respect the rules of the silent movies and I tried to make signification to make sense, and also the crew were very good and the fact that we shot in LA in the real Hollywood, studios and houses. We shot in the bed of Mary Pickford, and you cannot be any more accurate than that, so that helped a lot.
I love silent cinema but don't hold it sacred. Like any branch of film there are some very boring films alongside the masterpieces.
But sometimes I think you have to try to do things that people don't think are doable.
Robert DeNiro, who may be the greatest living actor, usually acts in a way which is very stone-faced, like Steve McQueen.
An idea is something you work on to make it work and a desire is much deeper in a way.
I'm very happy in France making movies.
I make almost all the decisions on set and have to deal with all the financial aspects.
I always loved silent movies. I was not a specialist, but I loved them. And when I started directing, I became really fascinated by the format - how it works, the device of the silent movie.
Maybe I've seen more Hollywood movies than French movies.
But I don't think of myself as a foreigner or a Frenchman! I just think of myself as a director.
I am unusual for a Frenchman - I have absolutely nothing against the United States.
I only have one obsession - not to be boring.
