Wong speaks

Wong Kar-Wai on America, cowriter Lawrence Block, and My Blueberry Nights. (IFC)

Q: Was the process of making your first English-language film on American soil that different from what you've been accustomed to?

A: The process is not that different except there are certain rules to be respected, like the union regulations. Creatively, for me, because it's not my own language, my vocabulary and references are limited. I realized that, at the very beginning, you feel a certain stiffness, a [self-consciousness] about this process. Later on, you just think, "Well, you have to stick to what are the most essential things." It's like a telegraph because you're very economical in all these words and expressions, and it also opens up yourself to... you need to collaborate with your crew, so basically, I'm sending telegraphs, and they have to fill in all the blood and flesh and details.