Mexico is a Latin powerhouse. And Mexicans, they’re known as hard workers. Here in the U.S., not everybody wants to do those kinds of jobs. I’ve lived. I know what it feels like and what they go through and how families suffer.

In Mexico, audiences want to see a big discussion around a film – what we expect from Hollywood films worldwide is more of an entertaining show. ‘Y Tu Mama Tambien’ was a road movie and comedy, but it had a very strong political connotation that sparked a discussion in Mexico that is still going on.

There’s no such thing as a specific authenticity to what Mexico is, because Mexico is incredibly complex and varied, and the food is completely different if you travel 50 kilometers. It just changes all the time.

In Mexico, theater is very underground, so if youre a theater actor its very difficult to make a living. But its also a very beautiful pathway to knowledge and to an open education.

In Mexico you have death very close. That’s true for all human beings because it’s a part of life, but in Mexico, death can be found in many things.

In Mexico we have a trick – add a crystal of salt to the kettle and the tea tastes better, almost English. But after four pots, your kettle’s broken.

We have a documentary film festival in Mexico. It’s really original. It’s called Ambulante, and it’s a film festival that travels around several cities in Mexico.

I didn’t know I wanted to do films until I started to do them. Very few films are made in Mexico and film-making belonged to a very specific group, a clique.