Shakespeare wrote all there is that we need to know about dementia in 'King Lear.

You could say Shakespeare is so extraordinary precisely because he was so ordinary. He had all the usual anxieties and understandings of what it is to have children, lose children, get married, struggle to make a living and so on.

Childhood didn't have a big influence on me, really - in fact I spent most of it plotting how to escape.

Like many Catholics, I was very affected by the personality of Jesus and that impression, pious as it was, has stayed with me.

When children have grieving parents it's also common for them to feel an obligation to cheer them up and make them happy.

I've come to this conclusion: What makes a great actor is great need. A huge need of acting.

I'd like to direct more operas.