Mary Shelley – Frankenstein
That was a big influence on the Possum screenplay. I guess because it's about someone who’s created a version of themselves, so it shares that plot element if nothing else. But the sense of tragedy as well. I know she rewrote Frankenstein and I think I prefer the second version of it, which is far more about a tragic fall. I always find that very moving.
Growing up, the Frankenstein myth has been everywhere, in so many different forms that it's something that you always go back to. And its interesting to realise how different the original is from a lot of stuff that's come out since. It was hugely influential on me as a kid as well. There was something about it starting in the frozen wastes and all that kind of stuff. It goes to so many places, but there is essentially a tragedy in it as well. You come out of reading it and you're always wishing it would end another way.