The 5-minute Interview: Adrian Lyne, Film-maker

Why David Cameron owes unemployed single mothers an apology

How would you describe an unemployed single mother, with moderate depression, who can't afford new s...

Can we shop our way out of a recession?

The idea that a lot of shopping translates into a healthy economy is dubious. On the three prior oc...

How social networking made public vanity acceptable

When did it become acceptable to brag about oneself publicly?

‘French beer is unknown. We must change that’

Stereotypes die hard. ‘The Very Hungry Frenchman’, the BBC’s current television series following che...

The British film director Adrian Lyne, 66, received an Academy Award nomination for 'Fatal Attraction'. He also directed '9 1/2 Weeks', 'Indecent Proposal', 'Flashdance' and 'Lolita', and is working on an adaptation of Chuck Hogan's thriller 'The Town'

If I weren't talking to you right now I'd be...

Checking up on my local football team, Olympique Marseilles, on the internet.

A phrase I use too often...

"Sort of".

The most surprising thing that happened to me...

Was being able to make my living being a director.

I am not a politician but...

I would have given the Palestinians a homeland.

A common misperception of me is...

That I'm some sort of sex maniac. People take certain aspects of films like 91/2 Weeks, or Fatal Attraction, and attribute that element to me

I'm good at...

Making sorbets.

I'm very bad at...

Gymnastics.

The ideal night out is...

Playing pétanque, followed by a wonderful meal. Then I'd go and watch Olympique Marseilles beat Paris Saint-Germain three-nil.

In weak moments I...

Eat too much – I do everything to excess, really!

You know me as a film director but in another life I'd have been...

That suggests I'm living a lie! I've no idea.

The best age to be is...

37. After that I could see my decline in the mirror.

My philosophy is...

You have to desire things absolutely, obsessively.

Shumi Bose

Most Commented
Most Viewed
Most Shared

Free trial of new Independent iPad app

Get your daily dose of the best of British journalism, sponsored by American Airlines

Subaru XV Posh Nosh Prizes & offers

Business videos

Win a family adventure for four in the new Subaru XV

Enjoy a three-nights family adventure at Slaley Hall Resort, Northumberland courtesy to Subaru XV

iPad app Posh Nosh Prizes & offers

Business videos

Amazing restaurant offers

Three glasses of free champagne and a special menu at 46 top London restaurants.

iPad app Subaru XV Prizes & offers

Business videos

Latest Independent competitions

Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.

iPad app Subaru XV Posh Nosh

Business videos

Commercial thought leaders

Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.

iPad app Subaru XV Posh Nosh

Prizes & offers

Jobseekers
Recruiters

So long Sarkozy: Inside the tiny town that will topple the French president

Inside the tiny town that will topple Sarkozy

The tiny town of Donzy is France's political weathervane finds John Lichfield.

A class act: Claire Foy on criticism, tumours and embarrassing sex scenes

Claire Foy: Criticism, tumours and embarrassing sex scenes

Her luminous good looks made the actress the star of Little Dorrit and Upstairs Downstairs

A new leaf: Mark Hix sings the praises of spinach

Spinach is the versatile superfood that will keep you strong and healthy throughout the winter months.

Hollywood ate my novel

Novelists reveal what it’s like to have their book turned into a movie

How you can force companies to behave themselves

Buying even a single share in a firm gives you the right to question its practices

Wilderness and wildlife in Australia’s Top End

This sparsely populated region is home to creatures that are both fantastic and formidable

48 Hours: Marrakech

From the ancient medina to the Palmeraie, Morocco's Rose City offers a warm escape from the cold of winter.

Bear with Bern for Swiss skiing

Stephen Wood arrives at the gateway to the Bernese Oberland with plenty of respect for the slopes and the city's ursine inhabitants.

Dawn of the age of wireless medicine

New technology means doctors will soon be able to regulate and monitor drug intake remotely – as long as patients remember to swallow their chips

Pete Doherty: I was a bit unhinged

Former Libertine talks frankly and exclusively about Kate Moss, Amy Winehouse, his baby daughter and why he paints with his own blood

Brown makes £1m since leaving No 10...

... but Blair's still the leading earner

The West Bank's Bobby Sands

Khader Adnan's two-month hunger strike has made him a hero among Palestinians outraged by Israel's policy of arbitrary detention

Hey, You've got to hide your drug away

Paul McCartney has given up smoking dope. Simon Usborne charts a career of highs and lows

The 50 Best cheap eats

The top spots for breakfast, lunch and dinner

MI5 helped US in fruitless search for Charlie Chaplin's Communist past

Investigating Charlie Chaplin

MI5 helped US in fruitless search for star's Communist past

The 5-minute Interview: Adrian Lyne, Film-maker

'You have to desire things absolutely'

Latest in Profiles

News in pictures

On Facebook

From the blogs

SPONSORED FEATURES

Career Services

Day In a Page

Inside the tiny town that will topple Sarkozy

Claire Foy: Criticism, tumours and embarrassing sex scenes

A new leaf: Mark Hix sings the praises of spinach

Hollywood ate my novel

How you can force companies to behave themselves

Wilderness and wildlife in Australia’s Top End

48 Hours: Marrakech

Bear with Bern for Swiss skiing

Dawn of the age of wireless medicine

Pete Doherty: I was a bit unhinged

Brown makes £1m since leaving No 10...

The West Bank's Bobby Sands

Hey, You've got to hide your drug away

The 50 Best cheap eats

Investigating Charlie Chaplin