From the New York Times, this is the interview.

I'm David Markeesie.

Chloe Zhao is an anomaly.

At only 43, with just five feature films under her belt,

she's already established herself as one of cinema's most distinctive and distinguished directors.

And she's done it at a time when the movie business is increasingly averse to artistic risk

and originality, qualities on display in all her work. She started with independent film,

including the sparsely poetic neo-Western Nomad Land, which won Academy Awards for Best Picture

and for Zhao Best Director.

She then tried her hand at an ambitious mega-budget Marvel movie, Eternals.

And her latest is last fall's heart-wrenching drama Hamnet,

an adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's historical novel about the death of Shakespeare's young

son from the plague and the grief his parents experienced after.

It won two Golden Globes and is up for several Academy Awards, including Best Director.

So how has she done it? Because as I learned firsthand, Zhao is an enigmatic, even somewhat mystical presence in person.

Not exactly the sort of hot-shot personality we often associate with big-time

Hollywood directors. But as it turns out, Zhao isn't much interested in simple or straightforward

answers. Here's my conversation with Chloe Zhao.

Chloe, thank you for taking the time to come speak with us today.

I appreciate it.

Thank you for having me.

I want to start with an award season question.

...