At 12 I dropped out of school but I had lost interest in it at a much earlier age. For me, school was very very stressful.
So maybe there are three parts in my life - earlier background living in exile in Xinjiang in a very political circumstance, then later the United States from 24 to 36 years old. I was quite equipped with liberal thinking. Then the Internet. If there is no Internet, of course, I cannot really exercise my opinion or my ideas.
I think teaching keeps me honest because if I'm up in front of a class talking about what I think is important about fiction while knowing I myself have just failed to do that hours earlier at my computer - it's a good and humbling reminder.
Earlier, I used to charge territories instead of my fees as an actor, but I realised it was better to keep the two apart. Now, I take my fees in cash, for acting, and keep the distribution thing separate.
Earlier, in Indian cinema, actors were given a certain amount of time to learn on the job. That is not possible anymore.
I was, and am, a frustrated filmmaker and film student, and my passion and love for movies was so broad that, in the earlier part of my career, I stumbled into doing 'Sports Night' and was a comedy director.
When you have a good bunch of youthful players, it's good to start them off together earlier rather than later, as they build up friendships.
The time to save for the future is now. Thanks to compounding interest, the earlier you start putting money away for the future, the more you will save.
My only regret is that I didn't play for Howard Wilkinson earlier. I would have achieved more and played even longer if I had.
Earlier in my career, I wanted to do a lot of things under the radar because I felt uncomfortable in engaging with the fans because then they're thinking, 'Well, you're doing it for publicity,' or whatever.
