After Snatch, what made you want to break from your original, successful subject matter?

Guy Ritchie: The idea was that I’d make something small. I didn’t get paid for Swept Away, and I thought I could do something small and different. Of course, I forgot who I was making the movie with—my wife—so it took on this whole other momentum.

Were you happy with the result?

Guy Ritchie: I like the movie. Both Swept Away and Revolver weren’t supposed to be vastly successful movies. I was already established by then, [but] those are the movies you should make before you’re established. I went about it all wrong.

Well, it seems like a lot of people wrote you off after that. Did you feel like an underdog coming into RocknRolla?

Guy Ritchie: Oh, yeah. The climate wasn’t warm. People are interested in you only if they can make money. So you have to convince people that, “No, no, I’m making this project for an established audience.” You can’t make too many movies that elicit zero response, though. You won’t stay in business.

So going into RocknRolla, were you thinking, I’ve got to recapture that old tone that people loved?

Guy Ritchie: Well, it’s my tone. I’m sure people are going to criticize it for that same exact reason, but fuck them. I’ll make ten of these films. I know the market is already there for this one. I know that people really enjoy those movies, and truth is, I fucking enjoy making these kinds of movies.

How are you approaching Sherlock Holmes?

Guy Ritchie: I want to make an accessible movie, but do you know much about him? He was a cocaine addict. [Laughs.] It’s a very interesting character because it’s not straightforward. I feel as though everything I’ve done up to now has been preparation for a career that essentially starts now. I can feel the shift in my head, because I’m entertaining 50 different projects. Before, I’d feel very uncomfortable doing that. I’d just be obsessed by one particular project. But I’m not frightened of making mistakes anymore. Home // CELEBRITIES // THE SHOTCALLER // Guy Ritchie