American movies are often very good at mining those great underlying myths that make films robustly travel across class, age, gender, culture.

Some of my most special shooting experiences have been at weekends.

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.

A British villain never loses their sense of humour.

I would say L.A. is more polite than London - it's a very careful place. People talk a lot in code.

Films about the English monarchy, they tend to have a lavishness, sumptuous imagery, it's all very posh and rich.

Well, I'm half Australian, half English and I live in London. That is the only reason I came upon this story. My Australian mother, Meredith Hooper, was invited in late 2007 by some Australian friends to make up a token Australian audience in a tiny fringe theater play reading of an unproduced, unrehearsed play called 'The King's Speech.