Actors enjoy being treated as ordinary people.
I think I would say 'The King's Speech' is surprisingly funny, in fact the audiences in London, Toronto, LA, New York commented there's more laughter in this film than in most comedies, while it is also a moving tear-jerker with an uplifting ending.
Great acting is all about being in the moment, being in the present tense.
Nowadays filmmakers tend to recycle the same cliches over and over again.
I think English film is very embarrassed by patriotism, generally.
I was always obsessed with finding truly researched images to add authenticity, out of that came something totally contemporary and modern. Research is very key to my process because over and over again, reality provides more interesting images than you could have invented.