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.

Just in relation to women, it's not that huge an imaginative leap to see the connection between the Taliban and the Catholic Church.

If I'm at home on my own and the writing isn't going well, I clean my house. And there have been times in the past few years when my house has looked really clean.

In bringing the subject of religious oppression to a wider audience, I didn't just want to kick the Catholic Church but to poke a finger in the throat of theocracy and to let it be known that people shouldn't tolerate this anymore.

I know virtually no one of my age who can remember a hug, or a smile from their father, or a 'Let's go play football.'

I was on the set of 'Braveheart' and my mate says to me, 'Do you think this film will be any good?' And I really meant this, too, I told him 'Let me put it this way - It won't win any awards.' Cut to: five Oscars.

Sometimes you have to confront your demons and sometimes even let them loose to genuinely find a place where you can gain some understanding.