I seem to have emerged from the relative obscurity of TV.

You can't always do exactly what you want, and often compromises have to be made.

I think there's a real problem if you're making a film - some people have done whether it be about Jackson Pollock or about Picasso - it's difficult for actors, because they have to impersonate a person whose image is very strong in our memories or in our consciousness. It's something that's very tricky, I think.

I don't want people to pigeonhole me.

I've got a very wide taste in art. I like Russian icon painters. I like Salvador Dali. It's like music. Sometimes you want to hear Led Zeppelin, and sometimes you want to hear Stravinsky. It just depends.

I collect postage stamps. That's the only thing I can afford to collect! I hope in five years' time to say, "Yes, I specialize in Gustav Dore first editions."

It's really exciting. It's really exciting when you do a piece of work, and people like it, and it gets noticed.