'I was ashamed of lots of things'

Los Angeles: Filmmaker Steven Spielberg was ashamed of a lot of things while growing up, and says he was bullied for being Jewish in his school.

"Well, you know, being Jewish and being raised additionally in the area where there weren't lot of Jews, New Jersey was fine, there was no problem."

"Then I moved Westin, I encountered anti-Semitism as an elementary school student in my school, and not throughout the entire school but small parts of popular kids they would pick on less popular kids, in my case zero popularity, growing up," Spielberg said while recalling his personal story of hate that he encountered.

"I didn't think of it as hate but thought of it as a shame. I was ashamed of lot of things and they actually managed with enough chiding and bullying to make me actually feel ashamed of being Jewish."

"I felt pretty much like an outcaste and when I got older, I realised bullying is a very pervasive tool to make other people feel like they are empowered," Steven further added.

The director also said: "So, I was on the other receiving end of people's power trips and that was my main experience with being hated, something that I had no control over and something that inside me, I have always been very proud of to be a Jewish."

Spielberg has got together with Alex Gibney to explore the emotion of hate with Discovery Channel's series 'Why We Hate'. They have produced the show.