Neil Jordan, the versatile director of Mona Lisa, The Crying Game, and Interview with a Vampire, had wanted to make Michael Collins, his most recent film, for 15 years. This book provides the finished screenplay to Michael Collins, as well as the diaries Jordan kept while shooting the movie. Writing with enthusiasm and candor, Jordan meditates on contemporary Irish acting and filmmaking, reveals the delights and difficulties of making a film as complex and beautiful as Michael Collins, and talks about getting good performances from Liam Neeson and Julia Roberts.