I would love it if anyone gave me the job of adapting 'The Great Gatsby,' but nobody ever does.

The writer in movies is about as low as you can get and you really are a hired hand. You are paid a lot of money to be treated like dirt.

I'm absolutely delighted if people think of me as a reliable purveyor of quality period stuff.

One of the things I've always thought is a drag in so many period adaptations is that they are always buttoned up to the neck in so many clothes all the time. I'm always looking for excuses to get them out of their clothes.

I was getting rewarded for writing well, from about the age of five or six. A teacher would say, "Look what Andrew has written," and I thought, "Maybe I could be a writer."

I remain, however, fairly optimistic for the future of period drama because it's just such a popular thing.

I used to have this Mercedes, a dark blue 450SLC, which was the most beautiful car. I'd like to have another unusual, beautiful car.