This professor was obviously on the jury, and I wanted to stay the faculty’s blessed son, and so I trusted external validation at this point in my life more than my own creative compass. So, like a lemming, I followed his advice. I spent the whole night undoing eight months’ work and recutting the film. And the next day, I presented this hacked up Frankenstein to the faculty, who absolutely demolished it.

The worst advice was to start a record label when I wanted to be a musician. It was smart advice. It could have made me more money, but it did not inspire me.

Try to be the same as everybody else.

But it was really – it came across sinister. And for me, I really did listen to it. I accepted it. I tried to implement that. The reason why I say it’s the worst advice I ever received was that it was damaging to me because she was totally wrong. ... And so, when somebody who is successful tells you to do something, you try to do it, even when it damages you.

A sense of humor, integrity, intelligence. Also, factual accuracy.

I had to ask people about this, because I couldn’t think of anything, and the consensus seems to be: a general lack of self-awareness.

Surrounded by my great-great-grandchildren.

Putting my grandchildren to bed.

Piety. But only when people are overly pious. You can’t be too just. Or too courageous.