Cine File

Steve Zaillian

First film? Either Journey To The Centre Of The Earth or The Great Escape. Those two films impressed me mightily.

Favourite film? To Kill A Mockingbird. It deals so effortlessly with really big themes. I saw it when I was a kid, and again recently, and each time I appreciate it on a different level. It's also one of the rare examples of a good book being made into a good movie. It's amazing because Harper Lee didn't write anything else: I guess she'd said it all.

Most erotic moment? I remember a scene in Don't Look Now when they're putting their clothes on rather than taking them off.

When did you last walk out? I don't walk out, I detonate the remote control.

Most irritating habit in a cinema? People who think the cinema is their living room. If you forget for a moment that you're watching a movie, they'll remind you by talking about it. You have to be careful because they'll probably shoot you if you complain.

Last time you snogged in a cinema? Zeffirelli's Romeo And Juliet - a long time ago.

Favourite snatch of dialogue? From The Godfather Part II, when Al Pacino says, "If history has taught us anything, it's that you can kill anyone." It was not what I expected him to say, but certainly in America it's true.

Which actor would you like to be? Robert Duvall, who is not only one of a small handful of great American actors, but he lives a life that's so sane. He lives in Virginia on a farm, only working from time to time.

Which actress? Meryl Streep: she can do anything.

When was the last time you cried? Shine. You were always on the verge of it, in both the good and bad moments.

The last time you hid under your seat? The General. There's a scene where a guy gets crucified on a pool table. His hands were literally nailed to the table.

Are you on a moral crusade with A Civil Action? Not at all. All I'm trying to do with any film is to examine human behaviour. Frankly, the book could have been about anything, but if it had this main character, I would have been interested.

Can a film of this nature have the power to impact on the ethics of huge corporations? I think it can; I don't know if it will. This movie wasn't intended to be an expose, but in the case of A Civil Action, the construction products company, WR Grace went to great lengths to tell people they'd cleaned up their act.

• Steve Zaillian wrote the screenplay and directed A Civil Action. He previously won an Oscar for his screenplay of Schindler's List.

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