Recently, Variety ran a story reporting that you had died. Did you learn anything from getting to observe the reactions to that report? I thought my obituary was slanted, as most reviews of my films in Variety have been over the years.

You once said that ‘‘Brazil’’ was going to be on your tombstone. Do you think people pay too much attention to your early work? No, no. People think I am a prophet and that ‘‘Brazil’’ described the world we’re living in now a few years ago. But we were living in that world then; people just weren’t paying attention the way they do now.

You sometimes talk about the director of a film as a kind of god. Is that how you run your productions? I try to submit — I’m Muslim-like when I’m making a film. I am there to serve the film and submit to it. I don’t feel I’m God, actually. I’m merely the hand that writes.

Do you think maybe your refusal to play God explains your reputation for not getting your projects finished? Well, I am totally collegial with the creative people that I have worked with. I just don’t like bending to the fears of executives.