We grew up as kids watching those movies and we were exposed to themes of civil rights, unfairness, bigotry and fathers struggling against the kind of mob of the town, so you remember how you felt as a kid being taken seriously, that you are part of the human drama.

I'm developing some screenplays at the moment with my Australian producer.

But just playing the partner of someone famous, I had a lot more freedom.

The filmmaker's got to make it his story and the actors have got to make it their story.

I think family movies have gotten so rich in this country.

I'm pretty ruthless about that; I think when you sign over your story, you sign over your story.

I'm quite intuitive about what I pick. Often it's to do with what I've just done and how I'm feeling.