“The key for me with historical characters is they're interesting becau...” — Michael Hirst Quote

The key for me with historical characters is they're interesting because they're human beings. A little bit of Hemingway goes a long way here, but journalists and writers should honestly look at their material and have a real interest, a real passion in what they want to write, and they should also have a lot of knowledge as well.

When I did 'The Tudors,' there was massive information available and a ready-made market.

I couldn't give 'Vikings' away - I mean, I love these people. And I'm not sure anyone else writing it would necessarily have the same feeling towards the characters that I do.

I'm very bad at delegating writing responsibilities, because I've never been able to do it; I've never had any help or looked for any help.

My whole thing was, as much as I was inspired by what my parents do, and growing up on film sets, watching that made me really want to do that. I am my own person, and I think that the only thing with the Hemingway name is that it has gotten me in the door.

Hemingway said the only way to write about a place is to leave it.

I read Nabakov for style, Mary Karr for heart and resonance of where I come from. She's from the same part of the world that I'm from. Cormac McCarthy and Hemingway, to read the masters.

From Ernest Hemingway's stories, I learned to listen within my stories for what went unsaid by my characters.