Ahead of his appearance at our ‘Creativity for Commerce’ Annual Conference, on 21 November, Elen Lewis interviews Richard Curtis CBE.
What would you tell your 17-year-old self?
Don't change into what you think are 'attractive party clothes' for parties. They don't make you look more attractive.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
From life - from funny things my friends say and do - and from pop music.
How different are your finished films to the initial vision in your head?
I don't really visualise my films when I'm writing them, alas, so much of them come as a total surprise. And the actors always totally enrich everything.
What advice would you offer to others on being more creative?
Trust your own instincts - don't think 'what will other people laugh at - think what makes me and my friends laugh.'
Does having had a great success mean it's easier for you to know whether a new project will work?
Not really. But you can learn from the good things in one project - like I learnt from Mike Newell while making Four Weddings that casting in a movie is of total importance.
What's your guilty pleasure?
Snickers bars.
What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
My Dad always said - 'you can't be happier than happy' - that's pretty good advice - that once you're happy, you shouldn't think 'no, but it could be better'. He also said that problems are problems because they can't be resolved.
Tell us a secret.
My true feelings about an enormous number of things are a secret.
This year's Annual Conference is on 25 November at the BFI. To find out more and book tickets head here.