Transcript

I think there's certainly something to be said for finding your own way in life, kind of carving your own path, trying things out, making mistakes, having meltdowns, having crises but also facing those meltdowns and crises, not just running away from them by drinking alcohol or taking drugs or running away. (What matters is) facing crises and developing as a person. I think you know if you if you're growing up when you've got a dream. For me one thing I always wanted to do was I was obsessed with great white sharks. In my Gap year (from university) I went and spent two months in a cage from Diving boat, diving near Cape Town. you it was like my big life's ambition was already ticked off at age 19. I think there's a huge amount to be said for knowing what you want out of life and going for it and ignoring how crazy it sounds. Because everyone who's achieved something started from nothing.

I'd recommend the film, The Fabelmans, which is Steven Spielberg's autobiographical film about his childhood. He talks about growing up, getting bullied for being Jewish, and having this quite nerdy dad. He developed a love for film making at a very young age and gets his films to his friends - to star in these crazy films in the desert that were made with a sort of Home Video. He sort of wiggles his way to an in internship in Hollywood in a studio. The myth is - I don't know if it's true or not - that his internship ended but he just kept going into the studio every day anyway and commandeered an office and eventually managed to get a budget for a short film. That is an example worthy of emulation: go broke or go home. He said he was interviewed that when he realized he wanted to be a film director: ‘I realized I either had to be successful as a film director or die trying. Those are my two options.’ That (is my approach) to a lesser extent. I'm a bit older than he was (at the time), a bit more sort of grounded, maybe, a bit less ambitious. You only get one shot at life.