I’ve been lucky to work with some of the most creative people and it’s true that I enjoy filmmaking and I’m an enthusiast. I’d seen Blood Simple and I really wanted to work with the Coen Brothers.

What was the last performance you saw that got under your skin? Joaquin Phoenix in The Master. I loved him in that. I just thought it was the most original, relentless, honest, and tragic performance that I’ve seen in modern times.

Then there’s Joker, where Joaquin Phoenix [Cage’s co-star in 1999’s foreboding thriller 8MM] is totally shamanic. That film is looking at something which is an [important] issue today – that mental illness is rampant and [the government] is cutting funding.”

I love Marriage Story because it’s a movie that answers questions for people who may be embarking on a divorce.