“All your life, you live so close to truth, it becomes a permanent blur in the corner of your eye. And when something nudges it into outline, it is like being ambushed by a grotesque.”

“I don't do interviews under false pretenses.”

“You don't often get a proposal to do Tolstoy for a really interesting director - that's easy to say yes to.”

“What Tolstoy is on about is that carnal love is not a good idea.”