“I used to always dream about tidal waves. I don’t know if it’s a Jungian thing; I haven’t researched it. Waves are rather good metaphors, which is probably why I was attracted to rewriting Point Break, even though I don’t surf.

In The Abyss, there was no monster. We were the monster. Audiences didn’t like that. They wanted another duke-out between Sigourney Weaver and the queen Alien. And that’s not what that movie ever was.

I sat with the entire cast beforehand, one-by-one, as they were being considered for their parts and said, ‘Don’t take this if you’re not willing to learn how to be a helmet-rated deep diver, which will take you four weeks’. I told them this would be worse than a Kubrick movie.”

Effect On Avatar: Cameron allows a film to take over his life. Avatar? He hasn’t done anything but the space yarn for years.