One of the reasons the whole Hollywood way of making films wouldn't work for me is because the way I operate would be anathema to anyone who wants to hold a job down in Beverly Hills.

When it comes to thinking about how a character talks, there are literary and language considerations. For actors to be able to differentiate between themselves and the characters they are playing while at the same time remain in character and spontaneous requires a sophisticated combination of skills and spirit.

The way an actor is trained doesn't ultimately have much bearing on my work. I'm interested in the actor as artist.

I feel very much ideologically, politically if you like, and emotionally part of the European cinema.

But actually I make films that I think are extremely sophisticated and cinematic.

My job apart from anything else is to build an ensemble composed of actors who all come from a secure place so that they can all work together to make the film.

I've walked out of films. But for every film I've ever walked out of, I've probably walked out of 500 plays.