The acting I got into by doing what we call pantomime, when I was sixteen. And, there were loads of very pretty girls in the show. I realized; I found out very early on, that the lead comic gets the girl. So, that was cool. When I went to university, I studied Economic Social History. And drama. That kind of got me into it. My main passion was to make films. It was never to be an actor. At that time, there weren't many opportunities for a working class Scottish actor. It was kind of an English thing. And it required a certain mannered cerebral acting style that I couldn't relate to.

Truth is I don't think God on a daily basis. I think politics, science.

You have to just go with your imagination, where your instinct takes you.

A script is utterly useless in and of itself; it's only of any worth the minute your actors, your designers, your directors come into being.

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.'

In terms of popular cinema, 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' is as near perfection as I can think of.

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.