Q: How involved are you to get your actors performances? And the look of your films is very stylized, but in terms of what they give you… how much is that you and how much is that a collaborative effort?

RITCHIE:  Again, I don't think too much about this, but what happens is if you're comfortable with what they manifest on the other side of the camera, then you keep your mouth shut.  It doesn't occur to you that you should interject.  But if you feel as though in some way your opinion could assist the vision, then it all happens instinctively.  So with some actors I never say anything, and some actors I say rather a lot.

Q: Who did you have to kind of poke on this one?

RITCHIE:  Well, I think I poked everyone.  [Laughing]  At some point or another, I think yeah, I had conversations with everyone.  So I'm not sure anyone was, I mean, it certainly it wouldn't be a slander in any way if I said I spoke to some actors more than others, because I like the people that take a line, all right, and say, 'This is the way I'm going to play it.'  And then there's no sort of ambiguity about which way they're playing it, and then you can interject or not.  What you don't want is something that's wishy washy, but I don't think anyone was wishy-washy.

Q: Do you think the use of voice over helps reinforce the whole idea that it’s kind of internal?

RITCHIE:  I mean, the film doesn't work without the voice over.  So the idea, and this is another thing that struck me that people couldn't get, the idea that in the end Sam Gold would get you.  He clearly gets (can't hear) Macha, right?  And if you get in business with Mr. Gold, I can't even remember what the line is actually.  But if you get in business with him, you're in business with him, right?  And then, he'll end up getting you one way or the other.  And then, I think it was the voice in Macha's head that's saying, 'Now Gold's going to come and get me.'  But what he didn't realize is that was Gold, so Gold is essentially the ultimate combat because he has no power, and the only power that they're power of illusions.

Q: Could you talk about the quotes in the movie and where did he find them?

RITCHIE:  Well, he found them all over the place.  I think we found them all over the place.

Q: Like in terms of suicide quotes or what is that quote?

RITCHIE:  I can't even remember all that, but it's 'the road to suicide,' I believe, which I think the first line is.  Isn't it? 'There's no such thing as,' ultimately there's no such thing as an external opponent or enemy I think it is, yeah.  I can't remember. In the end, you'll find that all sort of philosophy or psychiatry or spiritual philosophy is based on this premise of the false self, right.  So everything's just a commentary on this false self.  And this is simply just another commentary on this false self.  It's just we were very specific about the fact that that's what we were doing as opposed to any other film that you go and see will always be about the lack of manifestations of the false self.  All drama is about the struggle between good and evil, all right.  But what we have a saying is, is that all that drama is actually taking place in your noggin.  And there was just something very specific about it, like in 'Fight Club,' actually.  If you reflect on 'Fight Club,' and I saw it again like a month ago.  That's what's being said in 'Fight Club.'  Whether you realize it, this duality, that plays and then you go, 'Oh, I know.'  There it comes again.  But I remember when I first saw 'Fight Club,' I thought, 'Oh, I seem to remember everyone saying it's schizophrenia.'  But I don't think it was about schizophrenia.  I think what the mind does is it puts it into a label.  It doesn't threaten you as an individual, all right.  So it says, 'Oh, that's cool.  That person has schizophrenia.'  But we've all got schizophrenia because we've got two voices in our head, but it just depends if your schizophrenia is acute.  So I forgot what the question was now.

Q: Did you happen to sort of just find these quotes here now?

RITCHIE:  Yeah, because you don't need to go very far, and then you find a quote, right, what the seven deadly sins are.  They're all sort of egotistical characteristics.  But the ego, it's a thing, right.  It's an unseen entity that doesn't want to be exposed.  So it will give you enough of its characteristics to feel as though you're onto it but never give you enough to make sure that you're really onto it.  And once you get into that venue, it becomes very interesting, and it's part of a game that you want to share with people.  It's a real thing that people are just not aware of it.  And it's the very thing that affects and informs your entire life.  So I mean that's the reason why I made the movie.

Q: And what kind of film is RocknRolla?

RITCHIE:  No, that's not such cerebral stuff, right.  That's fun.  It's kind of commentary on how London is now.  And ultimately, it's Russian oligarchs buying up the city and stuff and then the shenanigans that take place in the underworld, which it's about.  So it's fun, and it's easy.

Q: Is it a commentary on certain soccer teams or?

RITCHIE:  It has something to do, there is a bit of, yes, there are people that own soccer.  There is a particularly oligarchy we've got in the film who builds soccer stadiums, yeah.

Q: I was going to ask you…there’s rumors that you might be doing Dirty Dozen or some Sony movie called The Game Keeper or Gate Keeper.

RITCHIE:  Yeah.  We did a comic about a year ago.  It's called 'Game Keeper.'  And then, Warner Brothers picked it up, and yeah, it's about a gamekeeper, and the gamekeeper is someone that keeps down the vermin on the land.  So it's about a gamekeeper from Sarajevo.  So I'm doing that with Warner Brothers, actually.  And while I was at Warner Brothers, they said do you want to make 'Dirty Dozen' as well.  [Laughing]  So yeah, so the idea is that we all make a remake of 'The Dirty Dozen,' too.

Q: And where are you in that process?

RITCHIE:  Apparently I'm not supposed to answer that.

Q: When you make a movie, what do you most pay attention to?

RITCHIE:  I think you pay attention to what it is that you are paying attention to.  So last night actually.  He was a kind of successful businessman.  And he says the reason he's successful and why he thinks everyone else around him doesn't flow so well is because he sees a flag on a hill and he doesn't start thinking about what's on the other side of the hill.  All right, he aims for that flag, and he doesn't let his imagination run away with himself of what's taking place on the other side of the hill.  You get to that flag, and when you're at that flag, you can look at the next flag.  So I think it's just a question, we were standing on a golf course at the time, which is why the metaphor conjures up.  [Laughs] So I think it's a question of that.  It's like climbing a mountain, and it's base camp.  So you just go from base camp to base camp and then eventually you sort of climb the mountain, and you're not quite sure because you'd never climb the mountain, right, if you're looking at the summit.  So you just focus on what it is that you're focusing on at that time.

Q: But each project is different?

RITCHIE:  Yeah.  What happens is, is I feel as though like from a sort of marketing point of view, you should probably map your career out in an intelligent and sort of formulated way, but I just don't think it works like that.  It isn't in my case.  What happens is I get excited about something, and strike while the iron is hot.  So that's why I had fun with 'Revolver,' so I just liked the concept.  And if I didn't get into that concept then, I don't think I would three years later.  I'm not sure if you'd be interested in that in the same way as you were then.

Q: And since you can’t talk specifically about it, can I just ask what your projects are or what’s the next project?

RITCHIE:  Actually, I think it's those two things you mentioned, actually.  It was going to be 'Game Keeper,' and it was going to be 'Dirty Dozen.'

Q: And then RocknRolla?

RITCHIE:  Oh now, 'RocknRolla' I've already finished.  'RocknRolla' comes spring 2008.

Q: Can you talk about working at a big studio versus on your own in England?

RITCHIE:  Well, I haven't really worked with a big studio.

Q: Warner Bros?

RITCHIE:  Well, I haven’t really done.  You mean the 'RocknRolla' thing.

Q: No. I mean whatever you can…

RITCHIE:  Oh, I don't know.  We'll have to have this conversation in a year or two from now, because I haven't really worked for a big studio.

Q: Would you ever do a kick ass gangster film with a female protagonist and who would you cast?

RITCHIE:  Give me a film where there's been a good kick ass gangster girl, if anyone can.  I don't know.

QUESTION:  La Femme Nikita.

RITCHIE:  Oh, there you go.  By the way, that was one of my favorite films.  So yes.  If a script like that came along.

Q: Who would you pick? Who have you seen that you think would be good for that role?

RITCHIE:  Unfortunately, I haven't spent enough time thinking about it to answer that question.  I could get myself in trouble, so I won't answer that.

Q: So when do you think we’re going to hear about your upcoming projects?

RITCHIE:  I don't know.  I don't know.  Lauren, obviously, will answer these things.  I don't know.  I imagine in the next six weeks or something like that.  All right, see ya.