"Everything I make starts very personally." — Baz Luhrmann

The ugly duckling is a misunderstood universal myth. It's not about turning into a blonde Barbie doll or becoming what you dream of being; it's about self-revelation, becoming who you are.

Sydney in general is eclectic. You can be on that brilliant blue ocean walk in the morning and then within 20 minutes you can be in a completely vast suburban sprawl or an Italian or Asian suburb, and it's that mix of people, it's that melting pot of people that give it its vital personality.

A life lived in fear is a life half lived.

I don't have fights with actors. In absolute honesty, I've never fought with any actor ever.

Opera was the cinema of its time, so to bring back that popular appeal, you just need to unleash its visceral immediacy and excitement. Most productions don't manage that - but when an opera does do it, you never forget it.

I feel a kinship with anyone who feels that their road, their life or who they really are is not good enough. I really relate to that.

Fitzgerald coined the phrase the 'Jazz Age,' and now we're living in the Hip-Hop Age.

There's a whole system in Hollywood where the director never speaks to the studio, but I like to engage them in a discussion. I listen.

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Everything I make starts very personally.