When things are really painful, I turn it into comedy.

Watching people just look out for themselves, I think, is extremely interesting. It goes right back to something like 'The Beggar's Opera' - the underbelly of society, how it operates, and how that reflects their so-called betters.

I don't like the way some actors, when playing a nasty character, will try to grab hold of something good about them.

When things are really painful, I turn it into comedy.

Nine out of ten delinquents are frustrated actors.

The Vatican has tried to condemn 'The Magdalene Sisters' as a pack of lies and that I've made it all up - I wish I was that good a dramatist - and in terms of public relations, that was the daftest thing they ever did.

Life is much weirder than fiction; nothing's more absurd.