My mom Marina and I were poor and hungry. We could sometimes not afford to eat - seriously. We lived together in a small town, called Berdyansk, in Ukraine. I was an only child. I don\'t think we would have survived if there had been more kids.

I was on the beach every summer. That was the pleasant part of my childhood because we were right by the sea. We\'d take a picnic, and I\'d spend hours in the water until I turned blue. You couldn\'t get me out of there.

To me, I approach a small-budget, artsy, European movie the same way as a big commercial Hollywood movie. That\'s the most important thing. Hollywood usually represents this big dream in people\'s minds, but to me, it\'s just hard work.

I always try to learn a few words from a new language wherever I go.