I did The Newton Boys and during the whole process of making the film, I may have spent a week in Los Angeles.
There are not a lot of places for an actor to explore what it's like to be a woman in her 60s. There aren't any films about it and there very few TV series about it.
It never crossed my mind to make a film about Muhammad Ali or the Queen or any of them! They just come out of the blue.
From 1980 to 1990, I shot more films than any other actor in the Screen Actors Guild, apart from Gene Hackman.
I personally believe the film turns out better when shot in one short schedule, plus it doesn't stress the actors.
Film is drama. You've only two hours, so you lie by exclusion, and try to make up for it by portraying the environment.
I'm not a part of the glamour industry. I would like to focus on my game, and there are minimal chances of me getting into films.
When you direct your first film, you always start by telling stories that you are familiar with.
I watch films. I play the guitar: me and some mates - I wouldn't dignify it with the term band - get together and play.
My approach to 'Eastenders' is the same as my approach to film and the same approach to theatre. Whatever I do, I use the same skills and tools.
I'm certainly not who people think I am. I always do whatever I want to do, and my films are personal to me.
My films are motivated by a keen interest in highlighting issues that affect marginalized populations who are caught in difficult circumstances.
The impact of the black audience is expressing itself. They look to films to be more expressive of their needs, their lives. Hollywood has gotten that message - finally.
I've produced my own films for twenty years now - it means I have to talk to less people.
The written word can be powerful and beautiful - but films transport us to another place in a way that even the most evocative words never can.
There's no one out there like Quentin Tarantino. His films have a signature look, and they never just stick to the same kind of story.
Now it really is, believe it or not, 90% of the films are green lit, not by the studio heads, but by the marketing department.
As a director you have to be careful you don't over-design the film. You have to be careful that the period aspect does not take over.
I grew up making films and always thought that's what I wanted to do.
I tried to film 'Leaves of Grass' in Oklahoma, but it was literally about a million dollars less to shoot in Louisiana.
I never dreamed that shooting a film would be so hard. There was less regulation then of child actors' hours. Even the concept of acting confused me.
