My dad was quite a forbidding figure. I realise now that that was mainly because he worked so hard. He wasn't unkind, but he was a presence.
I am a manager who tries to be respectful and also very demanding.
A teacher should have maximal authority, and minimal power.
When I came out of school, my mum was one of the youngest mums waiting at the gate. She was the cool mum on the block.
I don't agree with the whole 'my mother's my friend' approach, because you're their mum and there has to be a difference between the generations.
Well, my mom taught public school music for almost 40 years. And she's about 5 feet - and very mighty. And she would control her kids a lot by giving them the eye, or the stare.
All parents are an embarrassment to their kids. Often, grandparents are the relief. Kids don't have to resist you.
I've been shocked by film actors - 25 and under - having such confidence and cockiness to rewrite a scene. My background is more about the director being in control. It's all about yielding. It's an oddly submissive relationship in which you're moulded, Pygmalion-style.
I was very close to my grandmother, Agnes Parry. She was a typical matriarchal leader of the family and the community. People looked up to her and would always go to her for advice and help.
