A biography for Andrew Haighhasn’t been written yet.
“I think it is a burden... that we constantly realise that there isn't that much rhyme or reason to why something happens. If we think about that too much, it can make all of our decisions very stressful.”
“We can all understand that feeling of being alone in the world trying to find ways to not be alone.”
“Our past absolutely defines everything we do in the present. We can't help it. We're made by the events of our past, so there's no escaping it.”
“No relationships are perfect. When they develop, there are things that have happened before in your life that you maybe don't discuss. And there are always fault lines within every relationship. I believe it doesn't take too much pressure to be placed on those fault lines for them to start cracking apart.”
“If you don't have money or you come from a background that doesn't have money, it's harder to achieve your ambition in life. It's not that you can't, but it becomes harder. Inequality is one of the worst things that can exist in our society, so I am interested in those kind of things.”
“Personally, I don't like to talk too much to the actors about the camera choices because I feel like the way I want them to perform is as if it feels very rooted in the real world and that I'm essentially stepping back and just watching and hoping they feel safe with me watching.”
“I love the fact that James Ivory made films about Britain, made 'Howards End' and 'The Remains of the Day,' or that Paul Thomas Anderson made 'Phantom Thread.' They're about Britishness, but they're from an American perspective. And I actually think they're fantastic in the way that they understand Britishness.”
“My influences are all over the place. Different films have spoken to me at different times in my life, and they've helped create my idea of the kind of films I want to make.”
“As a person, I am totally obsessed with the choices and decisions we make in our lives and how they dictate the course of our lives. Seemingly random choices that we make end up defining everything.”
“The endings to me are the key moment in 'Weekend' and '45 Years.' I know how I want my gut to feel at the ending. Even if I can't articulate in words what that feeling is, I'm trying to find ways to get there.”
“I'm really bad at knowing if something I've done is any good. I can't work it out; I can't be objective about anything I do.”
“Men are both bad and awful. And women are both bad and awful. And they can both be good and wonderful on both sides.”
“There have been some good British gay films.”
“Our lives are largely made up of a series of mundane moments, but those little moments are often the finesse that shapes our entire existence; it's not necessarily the big, dramatic events, although they do, too, of course.”
“Horses terrify me.”
“I do make films for personal reasons.”
“For me, it's very important that shows about gay people are messy and complicated and are truthful about what we do.”
“I haven't got muscles, and I don't live in West Hollywood.”
“For me, all you want from your actor is for them to engage on a deeply emotional level with the material. If you feel like that happens, directing the actors is pretty much done at that point.”
“I don't believe in 'happy ever after' at all as a concept.”