Asked what would he say to his 23-year-old self, Lee said: "Ah, I'd tell him to f**k off!"
"I don't want to see him. If I see that somebody has on the same shirt that I'm wearing, I get pissed. Let alone a clone of myself! An exact same person? Think how pissed I would be then! I don't want to deal with him. I think, in life, as in your career, there shouldn't be any regret," he added.
The director feels "everyone is doing their best".
"Whether you make the most of it or not, that's your path. I think it's the message of this movie ('Gemini Man'): leave that guy alone. Let it go. Don't be so harsh on yourself. We all have that self-hatred thing, disguised usually as narcissism, we all feel like there's something not quite right with ourselves. But this is a movie that says, 'It's alright. At the end of the day, it's okay. You're okay'. That's what I want to say to myself," he added.
Lee is excited about "Gemini Man", which features Will Smith playing two different characters a 51-year-old assassin and the 23-year-old assassin out to kill him. He has used cutting-edge visual effects to create a young clone of Smith for his film.
"Gemini Man" is an innovative action-thriller starring Smith as Henry Brogan, an elite assassin, who is suddenly targeted and pursued by a mysterious young operative that seemingly can predict his every move. The film will release in India on October 11. The Paramount Pictures movie will be distributed in India by Viacom18 Motion Pictures.
Is "Gemini Man" the movie you are most proud of?
"I'm proud of every movie I do. It's like your children, you're not allowed to pick a favourite! But I certainly feel very proud that I got to (do) this because there are so many unknowns. And this is the best crew I have ever experienced. People who are willing to put aside their pride and know that they still have a lot to learn, to grow, to discover. That's not easy," he said.
The "Life of Pi" maker continued: "Everyone has to put down their egos to work together. It's a very moving experience. Once you have a taste of that, you don't want to do anything else. You feel like junior; you feel that innocence again."
( With inputs from IANS )