I'm always afraid someone's going to tap me on the shoulder one day and say, 'Back to North London'.

The films that I do tend to polarise people's views.

I've always been completely autocratic. I've never learned to be diplomatic or democratic.

Period recreation is very difficult unless you make a black and white movie.

I turn on the TV sometimes, start watching something and think: 'This seems quite good, a bit familiar.' Then I realise … It's one of my movies. It's a pretty odd feeling.

Rain is also very difficult to film, particularly in Ireland because it's quite fine, so fine that the Irish don't even acknowledge that it exists.

Film-making is a physically hard job.