I'm a minimalist. I don't really need much to enjoy a good holiday - just my family and the bare essentials.
I've always liked the Krampus character, and I've always been fascinated with him, especially the tradition that he was such a part of the holiday season in Europe, in Germany, Austria, northern Italy, various other places.
My mum was working in London, so I went to school there until I was 12. But every holiday would be in Scotland, and when I went to boarding school, I'd either be there or Scotland.
I started writing 'Brick Lane' when my children were two years and five months old. We were on holiday in the north of England when I was overtaken by a compulsion to start writing.
I grew up in the 1950s and '60s, when it was almost a holiday when a black act would go on Ed Sullivan.
As much as we love being sociable on holiday, part of me craves the idea of being away, staying in a hut on the beach, and maybe not seeing anyone for days apart from Jamie and the boys.
I have a huge costume section in my closet - wigs, mustaches, the whole thing. Halloween's my favorite holiday, so I have a lot of weird stuff.
I was just 19 years old when I did my first film and had no plan to act, or to become an actor. It was like a paid holiday so that I could earn good pocket money and then party more with my friends.