“Very few Englishmen ever ask a woman anything about themselves. They choose instead to lecture their dinner neighbors on a new and better route to the M5, or to praise their own professional achievements. So is a man does express any curiosity about a woman sitting next to him, about her feelings, about the life she is leading, she will generally tell him anything he cares to know.”

English actor, novelist, writer, producer, film director, and Conservative peer

Julian Fellowes, born Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, is an English actor, novelist, writer, producer, film director, and Conservative peer. He is best known for his work across film, television, and theatre, and for the recognition it has brought him, including an Academy Award and two Emmy Awards. His career spans several creative fields, with further nominations for four BAFTA Awards, a Golden Globe Award, two Olivier Awards, and a Tony Award. He is associated with both screen and stage work, and his public profile combines artistic achievement with his role in the British peerage.