Born in Reading in 1965 (in, romantically enough, the very same hospital where his wife Kate Winslet would enter the world ten years later), Sam Mendes established himself as leading light of British theatre whilst still in his twenties. He directed Judi Dench in The Cherry Orchard; Ralph Fiennes in Troilus and Cressida; Alan Cumming in a hugely entertaining revival of Cabaret; and, notoriously, Nicole Kidman in the critics’ favourite The Blue Room. After such an illustrious early career in theatre, it was hardly surprising that Mendes arrived fully-formed at the top tier of filmmaking when he chose to try his hand at it – but few could have predicted the extraordinary success of his 1999 feature debut American Beauty. Written by Alan Ball, it won five Oscars® including Best Picture and Best Director, and became one of only a handful of recent films to have instantly entered the popular lexicon – not to mention bringing colossal influence to bear on ensemble indie movies to this day. Mendes claims that his greenness was such on American Beauty that he had to ask cinematographer Conrad Hall just when he should say "Action!" The decade since has seen any such insecurity fall away: Mendes has affirmed his skill and status with heavyweight titles Road to Perdition, starring Tom Hanks; Jarhead, with Jake Gyllenhaal; and the recent Revolutionary Road, in which he directed his wife, reunited her with her Titanic co-star Leonardo DiCaprio, and helped her to her amazing double Golden Globe victory. Mendes’ latest work, our Opening Night film Away We Go (p14), marks something of a tonal departure for a director primarily known for work at the angstier and more intense end of the spectrum. The story of thirtysomething parents-to-be seeking the right place to raise their child, it marks a stunningly successful move into indie comedy; further securing his reputation as one of the big screen’s most confident and accomplished directors of actors, Mendes draws delightful work from a killer cast including John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Returning to Edinburgh for the first time since working at the Fringe early in his career, Mendes joins us to discuss his experiences, his inspirations and his working methods.