Whether you're Sir Laurence Olivier or a small boy blagging a job as third assistant director on a film set, the chances are that you have, at some point, been hopelessly in love with Marilyn Monroe. Even if you've never met her.

But not so for Simon Curtis. The BAFTA and Emmy-nominated director of Cranford, Pride and David Copperfield was never a die-hard Monroe fan. So why did he direct My Week with Marilyn, a film about the iconic sex symbol's attempts to act seriously in Olivier's conflict-filled production of The Prince and the Showgirl?

He rang me up yesterday morning to explain himself, and contribute to My Week with My Week with Marilyn by discussing Michelle Williams, Colin Clark's memoirs and the Oscar buzz surrounding his charming film.

There's nowt like getting up at 10 in the morning to go to a roundtable interview with the directors of the greatest Disney movie ever made. That's 10am US Pacific Time, by the way. So yes, I made a special effort and got out of bed at 6pm to make a long journey all the way to the interview. That's a virtual interview, by the way.

After getting up before 6pm, walking across the room to the computer and shouting a few things in South African in the Rafiki style, I was ready to go. All that because The Lion King is out in cinemas again today? I wouldn't have made all that effort for something stupid like Cars, you know.

So anyway, here's what Roger Allers and Bob Minkoff had to say (or type, whatever) about Hamlet, Elton John and post-converting the Disney classic into three dimension as we threw virtual questions at them through the circle of WiFi (ahem).

Standing near the entrance of the lovely Apollo Cinema West End, people keep pushing past to get to the world premiere of A Thousand Kisses Deep. But as the foyer fills up, I'm busy talking about jazz and time travel - as you do, if you're chatting to Dana Lustig, director of tonight's intriguing romantic drama.

The interview was equally interesting, even if it was conducted amid a gaggle of visitors walking between us right near the top of a stairwell. And, to make matters more chaotic, old friends kept popping up to say hello. (Her friends, I should add - I'm not that popular.)

But Dana stayed to chat, sharing her passion for London, music and Dougray Scott. And then Dougray himself arrived and hijacked the whole thing. As you do, if you're Dougray Scott.

Here's what happened:

Sitting down in the Arts Picturehouse, Cambridge, Paddy Considine is an interesting figure to behold. His tattooed arms and slicked back hair are almost intimidating, especially when he vents about the frustrations of acting on films with "the biggest assholes out there", and the ferocity with which he talks about his directorial debut, Tyrannosaur.

You almost wonder how much he's got in common with Joseph (Peter Mullan), the angry, misunderstood man at the heart of Tyrannosaur's monstrous story. Then you see him smile before he sits down and those thoughts disappear instantly.

"Let's just get a kebab and stroll around the town!" he laughs, debating with his people what to do during the UK premiere of his film.

The intensity he gives off isn't anger; it's a passion for what he's created. And given the emotional beast he's produced, you can't really blame him.

The film follows Joseph and his relationship with Hannah (Olivia Colman), a kind-hearted charity shop worker who is ritually beaten by her husband. They first met in a short film, Dog Altogether, which won Paddy a BAFTA four years ago. So where did the characters come from initially?