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In some cases, the casting directors have casted blindly and have not looked into my ethnic background.

I've always found it strange that a director can hire any designer he wants from any country. But if he hires a foreign actor, it's like he's stolen the crown jewels and run across the river with them.

Casting directors don't necessarily want a more recognizable commercial face. Sometimes, they want a lesser known person.

The pressure in Hollywood is bigger to look good than in Germany. In Germany, we are more forgiving. Having a personal coach in Germany is not nearly as common as in Hollywood. In Hollywood, I think everyone has a personal trainer.

Overseas directors who want to work in Hollywood, the language barrier is not a problem. With the right talent, any director can be successful.

Never the less, it is no light thing to enter into a profession absolutely foreign and alien to the people among which one's lot is cast; a profession which seems as dim and faraway and unreal as the shores of Europe.

I don't believe that all actors should end up being directors.

Directors say that you should get actors before they are recognized. They will be a pain or have an opinion.

I don't see a film industry in Germany. They have a great TV culture, but how many German films are really exciting?

In Europe, there are many filmmakers working in the same territory: immigration, and the things that are most disruptive to European life today. That's not a judgment. I think it's good that cinema looks at such things.