The New Zealand sense of humor is tough and realistic. Jokes are not surreal; they are about life and death and tough decisions.

When I was growing up in the '80s and working in the theater, David Mamet exploded with a whole new reworking of what dialogue should sound like. It was punchy and raw and repetitive, bursting with dynamic. I remember that switching on a lot of lights for me.

I am so superstitious that I think even discussing this subject is dangerous and will probably bring me terrible luck. Having been raised a Catholic, superstition becomes almost part of your DNA. The challenge is to slowly rid yourself of these little delusions.

As you get older, you become more vain. But as your looks slowly deteriorate, your eyesight worsens, so it all balances out.

Commercial success and quality are not necessarily allied.

At 17, I wanted to be a rock star.

Life is not a waste of time.

It's impossible to make a living in the arts unless you make a fortune. There's almost no in-between. Writers are either broke or rolling in it. Oddly, you can't tell them apart.

I still present myself as a New Zealander, answering people's questions about New Zealand and contributing in my own unlikely way to the global perception that Kiwis can and do fly high.

If we did not have the impulse and ability to believe in the impossible, we would not have religion, democracy, or marriage.