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As a director, hes responsible for one more:Love Actually.
Now, Curtis has turned his attention to another British institution.
The only records we had were Nat King ColesUnforgettableand two copies ofThe Sound of Music.
I cant remember specifically, but for some reason or another I think its kindly kindly Me.
I do remember I was hooked from the get-go.
Did you have a favorite Beatle back in those days?Not really.
I had two sisters.
One was in love with Paul, one was in love with John.
I think I just loved the four of them.
They seemed like the perfect gang.
Ive read that you wrote 3,000 pages forNotting Hill.
Have dinner with the characters, spend the night with them, so I discover how they talk.
Then I try and extract the essence of their relationship from that.
What was the first conversation you wrote here?Im slightly obsessed withCrocodile Dundee.
And Im a great fan ofThe Deer Hunter, where they spent so long before they go to war.
I sometimes wonder whether that should be my aim, to write the first illegally short movie.
Lets see whether you might get it on eight times between 12 oclock and 12 oclock.
Your movies have become an important cultural export for the U.K.
They help determine what people outside Britain think of the country.
I was very aware when I finished that I didnt really know what I was talking about.
SoNotting Hillwas set in Notting Hill because I live there.
But I do notice.
The first one I did was calledThe Tall Guy,and that was directed by a friend of mine.
you’re able to be here every moment, and that sort of became the tradition.
But Dannys a very amenable and friendly guy.
Once in a while hed say no, but on the whole it went very well.
Was it a conscious choice to step away?I always found the directing quite tough.
So I made up my mind I wasnt gonna do it again.
I was just going to work harder at the relationships with directors rather than be the director myself.
He tried very hard.
But my favorite film before I madeAbout TimewasLike Crazy, by the director Drake Doremus.
I wasnt sure that I was ever gonna be happy.
If I knew I had a good scene, I shouldve been more daring with how it was shot.
So I made up my mind to take a gamble with this film.
It has 17 songs, and the directors gotta have a visual style on each song.
I knew that Danny could do that, and I doubted whether I could.
I was in incredibly safe hands with Danny.
Part of the theme ofYesterdayis about learning how to have a good life without being a world-famous superstar.
I do feel squeezed.
One is, ifFour Weddingshad been a failure, I probably wouldnt have made a third film.
I think I wouldve had a rather satisfying life in TV.
But so it goes.
Was itLord of the Rings?Im not saying.
It wasntFast and the Furious.
It doesnt worry me too much.
For instance, I remember watching500 Days of Summer, which is a movie I adore.
I love every bit of that.
I get this endless reminder of what might be good about the work.
And of course when you make movies or TV, you dont get that.
He asked me to come along and introduce it, and I stayed.
That was so nice, because I didnt have any experience with peoples enthusiasm for it.
Suddenly I was in an audience of a thousand people loving the film.
I thought,It is all right.
