Seeing The English Patient is wonderfully draining, but imagine acting in it for six months.

I can't move back to England. My home is in France now. I'd love to but I can't. My family's all there now.

I do consider myself as being French, I suppose.

I tend to do things that I'm very frightened of. That's what I do.

People will now go to films with subtitles, you know. They're not afraid of them. It's one of the upsides of text-messaging and e-mail. Maybe the only good thing to come of it.

I was happy, I wasnt beaten, and I lacked nothing. But it wasnt what people expect - it was very much sort of pinching and scraping. I dont know how my mother did it.

I just don't see very many films. Because I make them.