Tom Hooper

“Listen to your gut and your instinct, and don't be afraid to screw up.”

“The great lesson of history is that it is shaped by little people, not great men.”

“I'm interested in the moments when people are not speaking.”

“I think the great thing about the historical film is that it can create a dialogue with the present.”

“The joy of directing is that you get to go to all these different places and have a vicarious experience of all these different professions.”

“With any period piece, you're making a movie about the present.”

“What's crucial is that the story has to be larger than the characters.”

“You have to be a bit of a masochist to be a director.”

“I am drawn to people who are brave, who are flawed, who are trying to be better.”

“The wonderful thing about musicals is that they're a form of heightened reality.”

“I'm a great believer that if you're making a film, you should have a point of view.”

“I'm very interested in the idea of a hero who is not perfect.”

“I think that the job of a director is to be a kind of first audience.”

“What I learned from my father is that you have to be passionate about what you're doing.”

“I always feel that the best performances are when an actor is not trying to be liked.”