---
title: "2 Elizabeth Quotes By Michael Hirst"
description: "2 Elizabeth quotes by Michael Hirst. Plus more from Michael Hirst and more Elizabeth sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/michael-hirst-19597_about_of-course-i-had-written-a-film-about-eli_1684903.jpg"
---

> [Of course I had written a film about Elizabeth I, and I loved the Tudor period, and I think at the time Working Title and I had debated on whether to do Elizabeth I or Henry VIII. I'd always wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/of-course-i-had-written-a-film-about-elizabeth-i-and-i-loved-the/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/michael-hirst-19597_about_of-course-i-had-written-a-film-about-eli_1684903.jpg)

> [When you're a screenwriter working on a film, you're not really even welcome on set, even if you know... When I wrote 'Elizabeth' and Shekhar Kapur was a friend of mine, but I wasn't really welcome on set, because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/when-you-re-a-screenwriter-working-on-a-film-you-re-not-really-even/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/michael-hirst-19597_because_when-you-re-a-screenwriter-working-on-a_2626837.jpg)

## Other authors on Elizabeth

## More by Michael Hirst

> [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,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/the-key-for-me-with-historical-characters-is-they-re-interesting/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

> [For 'Vikings,' we have to do so much outside shooting, and it's normally - I think with American shows, it'll be 60 or 70…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/for-vikings-we-have-to-do-so-much-outside-shooting-and-it-s-normally/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

> [You have to create characters - certainly in series TV - who people engage with. They don't have to be nice; you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/you-have-to-create-characters-certainly-in-series-tv-who-people/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

> ['Downton Abbey' is just one cliche after another, and it is a really, really poor piece of drama. But that's only me talking. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/downton-abbey-is-just-one-cliche-after-another-and-it-is-a-really/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

> [People love cliches. If you can give people cliches, that's very good TV, then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/people-love-cliches-if-you-can-give-people-cliches-that-s-very-good/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

> [With 'The Tudors,' I had a huge amount of material, I mean so many books and so much stuff about what they really said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/with-the-tudors-i-had-a-huge-amount-of-material-i-mean-so-many-books/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

> [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/i-couldn-t-give-vikings-away-i-mean-i-love-these-people-and-i-m-not/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

> [The Vikings certainly didn't write anything about themselves; it was not a literate, but rather a pagan, culture. So what we get was written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/the-vikings-certainly-didn-t-write-anything-about-themselves-it-was/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

> [When I did 'The Tudors,' there was massive information available and a ready-made market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/when-i-did-the-tudors-there-was-massive-information-available-and-a/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

> [My instinct is to absolutely recoil when talking about writing in a mechanistic way. Nothing could be dumber than writing a film or TV…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/my-instinct-is-to-absolutely-recoil-when-talking-about-writing-in-a/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

> [I've found that using historical material and being rooted in historical material is liberating because I always think to myself, 'Well, this actually happened,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/i-ve-found-that-using-historical-material-and-being-rooted-in/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

> [People offer me loads of stuff, and some of it I like, but I just can't do it because I can't write it all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/people-offer-me-loads-of-stuff-and-some-of-it-i-like-but-i-just-can-t/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

> [The American obsession with 'Downton' amuses me slightly because it's such a fiction. I've always been questioned about my historical veracity, and 'Downton' just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/the-american-obsession-with-downton-amuses-me-slightly-because-it-s/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

> [I wasn't setting out to write a documentary; if I had, I would have done it in a completely different way. I was asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/i-wasn-t-setting-out-to-write-a-documentary-if-i-had-i-would-have/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

> [With 'Vikings,' I had the task of making these people interesting and, to a point, sympathetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/with-vikings-i-had-the-task-of-making-these-people-interesting-and-to/)

[Michael Hirst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hirst/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elizabeth/michael-hirst/#itemlist",
            "name": "2 Elizabeth Quotes By Michael Hirst",
            "numberOfItems": 2,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Of course I had written a film about Elizabeth I, and I loved the Tudor period, and I think at the time Working Title and I had debated on whether to do Elizabeth I or Henry VIII. I'd always wanted to do Henry VIII. Like Elizabeth, I'd had this feeling that it had never properly been addressed.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Michael Hirst"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/of-course-i-had-written-a-film-about-elizabeth-i-and-i-loved-the/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/michael-hirst-19597_about_of-course-i-had-written-a-film-about-eli_1684903.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/michael-hirst-19597_about_of-course-i-had-written-a-film-about-eli_1684903.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/michael-hirst-19597_about_of-course-i-had-written-a-film-about-eli_1684903.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Of course I had written a film about Elizabeth I, and I loved the Tudor period, and I think at the time…” — Michael Hirst",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "When you're a screenwriter working on a film, you're not really even welcome on set, even if you know... When I wrote 'Elizabeth' and Shekhar Kapur was a friend of mine, but I wasn't really welcome on set, because the director is God and it's a very difficult position for a screenwriter who's put so much passion into that, into the writing.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Michael Hirst"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hirst/when-you-re-a-screenwriter-working-on-a-film-you-re-not-really-even/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/michael-hirst-19597_because_when-you-re-a-screenwriter-working-on-a_2626837.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/michael-hirst-19597_because_when-you-re-a-screenwriter-working-on-a_2626837.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/498/michael-hirst-19597_because_when-you-re-a-screenwriter-working-on-a_2626837.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“When you're a screenwriter working on a film, you're not really even welcome on set, even if you know…” — Michael Hirst",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elizabeth/michael-hirst/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elizabeth/michael-hirst/",
            "name": "Elizabeth Quotes by Michael Hirst",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elizabeth/michael-hirst/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/michael-hirst-19597_about_of-course-i-had-written-a-film-about-eli_1684903.jpg"
            },
            "description": "2 Elizabeth quotes by Michael Hirst. Plus more from Michael Hirst and more Elizabeth sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elizabeth/michael-hirst/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elizabeth/michael-hirst/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Elizabeth",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elizabeth/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Michael Hirst",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elizabeth/michael-hirst/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```