I think every period - except for the 14th century, or something - has some merits.

The movies are funny, in one way, because you think of everyone being as beautiful as the dawn, but that isn't true.

I think I have a very detailed sense of observation. I am interested in the details of people's lives and what information these details give.

If you're in the movie or in television, your failures are very public, and so are your successes. You weigh them up against each other, really.

War makes early risers of us all.

Maggie Smith has a unique sense of comedy, based on a somewhat ironic view of real life, making it both funnier and more sad. But perhaps her greatest ability, or at least the one that most intrigues me, is how she can convey deep and powerful emotion without a trace of sentimentality.

I mean the truth is, I've always been interested in the whole setup of the old world.