PARK CHAN-WOOK

I don't usually watch a lot of TV, but 'Mad Men' changed my perspective. I admire Matthew Weiner who came up with the idea and wrote such a great TV series, and the broadcasting company for being bold enough to air such a series.

When I was going through puberty, I had all these feelings of being unstable through those years, and being uncontrollably drawn to things of beauty and things that are bad.

When you consider the concept of vampirism, it is inherently part of a Western culture.

I live in a rural residential area. It's a great place for a walk. I'm at my happiest when I'm listening to my iPod while walking around where my feet take me.

I believe there are more films that involve love and forgiveness than violence, but they often seem fake and are almost embarrassing to watch.

When I was growing up, we were taught in school that North Koreans, and especially the North Korean leadership, were all devils.

I'd like to do a really masculine film.

I became a film director, but I wasn't successful with my first couple of films, so I had to turn to becoming a film critic to make a living.

I am sure I am one of 2,000 film directors in the world that Tarantino admires.

When I was making my first films, I was very interested in Hollywood B movies.

When we are confronted with extreme situations, we forget about moral issues; we simply act and must then accept the consequences.

I've read all of Sarah Waters's novels which have been translated into Korean.

Becoming a vampire means completely changing your identity.

Actors, I think, are all the same. Both Korean actors and American actors are all very sensitive people, and they are all curious to know what the director thinks of them and how they are evaluated, and they try to satisfy the director. And they like it if you listen carefully to their opinions and accept them.

The reason I want to show shocking things is that they always pose an ethical question.

When I grow older and less popular, there will come a time when I have to shoot films on low budgets.

Certain subjects may no longer be taboo in cinema. But there are ways to treat them that still create shock.

It is not possible for a person to be completely free of sin and be squeaky clean.

I'd love to do a sci-fi movie, a western, or an espionage thriller. But I'm not going to limit myself. If a good script comes along, I'm not going to discount it because it doesn't fit into one of these genres.

When you first hear Mozart's music, your first impression is that it's very alive, but if you peel away the layers, you can hear sorrow and sadness behind it, and that's what I try to be: multi-layered.

If you would ask me what my ideal process is, I would say, long pre-production, long production and long post-production.

I'm not the kind of director who aims to send a message out.

When it comes to remaking my own films in the English language, I can only imagine that it is a very boring process, I wouldn't ever dream of it.

I love Philip Glass' work, not only as a film composer but also as a musician. The film score work that he does always amazes and shocks me.

I grew up in a very Catholic family. Up until puberty, I would go to a Catholic church every week.