ABBA: The Movie; I got a lot of grief for working on that.

I discovered the 7th art at home when I was kid, through Charlie Chaplin's movies and those of my father who shot documentaries. He was my biggest influence. So I took his camera and started shooting.

I was always attracted by the European way of life, but I am deeply Swedish.

I really want to have actors contribute their own ideas, with phrasings and ideas on all levels.

But I notice that there is a lack of darkness in my movies and I don't know where that comes from.

I am always more interested in performance and character depiction, and my direction says as much.

Many of the comedies I had made in Sweden were slightly based on semi-autobiographical experiences, so adapting novels was a very different experience.