I appear to be drawn to iconic characters and what they reflect back to our cultures. Tom Hooper More Quotes by Tom Hooper More Quotes From Tom Hooper I think we all have blocks between us and the best version of ourselves, whether it's shyness, insecurity, anxiety, whether it's a physical block, and the story of a person overcoming that block to their best self. It's truly inspiring because I think all of us are engaged in that every day. Tom Hooper blockselfthinking In "The King's Speech," patriotism is utterly contained within a historical moment, the third of September, 1939, where the aggressor is clear, the fight is clear, it hasn't become complicated over time. Tom Hooper fightinghistoricalkings I think directors can become overly infatuated by gilt and gold, and the word "lavish" and everything being magnificent. Tom Hooper golddirectorsthinking I was always obsessed with finding truly researched images to add authenticity, out of that came something totally contemporary and modern. Research is very key to my process because over and over again, reality provides more interesting images than you could have invented. Tom Hooper keysrealityinteresting A lot of dramas get a bad name commercially because they are unremittingly bleak. Tom Hooper bleaknamesdrama I feel connected to the Second World War because my father lost his father in that war. So, through my dad and the effect it had on him of losing his father young, I always felt connected to the war. It goes back years, but it still feels to me as if we're completely living in it. Tom Hooper dadwarfather I have a yearning someday to do one of these huge juggernauts. Tom Hooper juggernautsomedayyearning There's something about being cerebral, intellectual, and yet emotionally repressed [in being villain]. If you think someone's doing this [bad] stuff and they're in complete control, that's more scary than if they're out of control. Tom Hooper scaryintellectualthinking I think English film is very embarrassed by patriotism, generally. Tom Hooper patriotismfilmthinking Sometimes your body language is enough for an actor to know that you're not happy. And you don't really need to say it out loud if you deal with actors you know very well. And I don't think you really need to be explicit. Tom Hooper actorsneedsthinking I think people enjoy finding out something genuinely new. Tom Hooper enjoypeoplethinking Trans stories have now entered the mainstream in this fantastic way, but the most important thing is what follows from that is hopefully a shift in the experience of trans people - so that there's more acceptance in the culture to the issues they face and more support. Tom Hooper issuesacceptancepeople I would say L.A. is more polite than London - it's a very careful place. People talk a lot in code. Tom Hooper politelondonpeople I'm the son of highly functioning parents who I'm incredibly lucky to have. Tom Hooper luckyparentson If you look at Shakespeare's history plays, what the setting of monarchy allows is this extraordinary intensification of emotions and predicament. Tom Hooper emotionplaylooks A British villain never loses their sense of humour. Tom Hooper humourbritishvillain With the coming of radio as a mass medium, suddenly the world changed. It became about, 'Can this leader project emotional connection through the way he speaks on the radio?' And the anxiety about whether he could do that, we've inherited. Tom Hooper anxietyemotionalleader I mean, we've all had those dreams where, you know, we try to cry out and our voice won't come. Tom Hooper voicedreammean After my grandfather's plane took enemy fire, he was denied permission to land at the first available airstrip. In that classic British bureaucratic way, they said he had to go back to your own airbase in the Midlands. They crashed between the coast and the airfield. Tom Hooper landfireenemy Films about the English monarchy, they tend to have a lavishness, sumptuous imagery, it's all very posh and rich. Tom Hooper poshrichfilm
