Richard E. Grant

You can measure success by the number of friends who have remained loyal to you, and you to them.

Never give up. You only get one life. Go for it!

I think I have a romantic idea of life; I certainly have a romantic outlook. I think. I hope.

Ensure that your script is watertight. If it's not on the page, it will never magically appear on the screen.

When I came to England, the first director I met was Charles Sturridge, who told me, 'You speak like somebody out of the 1950s.'

Everything I dared dream of has come to fruition. Which is not to say that I don't grumble with the best of them, but the wobbles have been way outweighed by the wonders.

If somebody crosses me, or if I love them, then it's pretty unequivocal; there's not much grey.

The movies are something that I've been obsessed with, and I've subscribed to movie magazines all my life, since I was a child.

Time and time again I was told that I would never make the film on time and never make it on budget. That kind of criticism tends to turn me into a great big motor of efficiency.

Always have an answer - even if you change your mind five minutes later.

I am drawn to writing and directing as it is most like the feeling I had when I was a teenager with my puppet theatre. You are more in control of everything and involved in every aspect of production, so more challenged and fulfilled.

Proving yourself in a field where the casualty rate is so notoriously high is an ongoing challenge.

Anthony Hopkins says you just keep acting. Do it all the time and eventually it will happen. He got his break, after all, by taking a role nobody else wanted. A cannibal!

I would still like to go to the moon before I die.

Unless you are an enormous name, you never stop auditioning.

I like fixing things.

I am a very judgmental person. Of myself and other people. I recognise it's a great fault, but I have no power over that.

When I meet a couple, I'm always interested to know if they have been together for a long time, or how loyal they are, because I know that will impact on how much I'm prepared to trust them.

Well, it's true that I've never been solitary, although I spend a lot of time alone. I've never felt lonely or been shy.

I don't think it's the case that 'posh actors' get more work than others.

Actors always think that others are getting more work than them. In my case, they usually are.

I place an enormous premium on loyalty. If someone betrays me, I can forgive them rationally, but emotionally I have found it impossible to do so.