“It’s the sort of subject that always interests me: jealousy and the language of suspicion and guilt. I think it interests people.”

The challenge, really, on any new film is to try to avoid that and achieve a few moments that aren’t cliche.

Especially living in the South of France.

Where you can be in their shoes and therefore be more involved if they’re people that you recognize.

Always, with any movie that I do, I have a book of ideas that I’ve heard, or seen, or whatever, and I always try to incorporate it in the film.

Well, I think just the fact that you are making your first film is a huge step.

You have to invent a book of rules of what you can do and what you can’t do.

I looked at Brief Encounter very closely, to be honest.

I’ve always been interested in films where you can identify with the actors.

I was watching Monster’s Ball, which is a fabulous movie. It’s just a little gem: beautifully shot, and shot in a way I never would have done.

Their every instinct – and I have to say this is without exception – is to iron out the bumps, and It’s always the bumps that are the most interesting stuff.

Foxes was a movie that didn’t do a lot of business but it didn’t do too badly critically and eventually they offered me other things.

I think that there are points where you become so close to an actor,

The interesting thing was that next I tried a film called Star Man, which Michael Douglas was producing.

Somebody said that I’m a bit like a sponge, grabbing things here and there, soaking stuff up. [As a director] you have to be, really.

The danger is that if you have a bunch of ideas that you forget to use.

If you are prepared to make a fool of yourself for them then you usually get that back.

Guilt is a gift from Allah warning you that what you are doing is violating your soul.

If only I wasn’t an atheist, I could get away with anything. You’d just ask for forgiveness and then you’d be forgiven. It sounds much better than having to live with guilt.

When we wallow in guilt, remorse, and shame over real or imagined sins of the past, we are disdaining God’s gift of grace.

Most of us have spent our lives caught up in plans, expectations, ambitions for the future; in regrets, guilt or shame about the past. To come into the present is to stop the war.

I know my truths. I know exactly why I am the way I am and I’m secure with it. There’s not a single soul that can ever shame or guilt trip me into making me feel and think otherwise.

My vengeance is my guilt.

To execute a man we don’t need proof of his guilt. We only need proof that it’s necessary to execute him. It’s that simple.

Don’t replace your guilt with hate, replace it with love.