Andrew Haigh

“It's very important that all the supporting characters feel like they've existed in the world, that they've had a history, and they'll go on to have a history within the scope of the story rather than just popping up and then disappearing.”

“One of the reasons I wanted to make 'Lean on Pete' was that it wasn't about identity. For me, it's about something more essential underneath: the need to have somewhere to live, to be safe, and have someone to look after you.”

“I always quite like the idea of casting against type when I'm looking for and trying to understand who a character is.”

“I've traveled a fair amount around the country and visited many states. It's amazing that Oregon is so different from Idaho; even though Portland isn't that far from Boise, it's a completely different city. Colorado is very different from Oregon. From a European perspective, I've always found that fascinating about America.”

“Lots of shows get cancelled, and then they never get to end their stories. It's just over.”

“I feel like, throughout lots of my life, especially growing up, I felt powerless.”

“The longer you get in a relationship, the harder it becomes to confront problems.”

“I'm not very good at thinking, 'This is the thing I should do now to help my career.' I mean, I want to keep my career going, but that's not what draws me to a story.”

“I think it's always interesting to me how we keep secrets from the ones we love the most. You could be so close to someone, but still there was something you can't express, you can't tell them, because it's almost too painful and too hard for you to articulate yourself, because you don't fully understand it.”

“I'm gay, and I know a lot of very liberal straight people, and, of course, they're absolutely fine, but they still won't necessarily come and see a film like 'Weekend.'”

“You can achieve one thing, but because of that, you have to adapt or lose something else. If you end up in a relationship, you sometimes have to lose the closeness of your friendships, for example, or you have to move away somewhere... For me, that creates the sense of melancholy which I think exists in most people's lives.”

“A lot of gay-themed films are terrible. And mainstream audiences and the press aren't interested, understandably.”

“People's lives often don't turn out as they expect.”

“In my own life, my parents divorced when I was young. I lived with my dad, not with my mum, after they got divorced. And it's been part of my life.”

“I am fascinated by that person who is trying to live authentically, but they are on the outside of society, so how do they manage in the world around them?”

“Whoever my films are about, they'll hopefully still have my sensibility, whatever that is.”

“Being gay, you're kind of forced to ask, I suppose, very existential questions from a very, very early age. Your identity becomes so important to you because you're trying to understand it, and, I think, from the age of, like, 9, you're being forced to ask questions... that other kids maybe don't have to ask.”

“I went through a period of watching probably too many Bergman films in a row. I felt like I'd discovered the answer to what cinema should be.”

“I would certainly not support Trump in any way shape or form, but I want to have sympathy.”

“I wanted to make films since I was young. My background had nothing to do with anything creative, so it seemed an impossible task.”