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Guy Ritchie
Guy's got it all - lock, stock and a baby boy
No wonder Guy Ritchie is sitting there like the cat that got the cream. Just a couple of years ago he was a struggling film-maker trying to get his feature film debut off the ground. Today he's one of Britain's most successful directors, his partner is superstar Madonna, and he's just become a father for the first time.
"I haven't drawn breath in two years," he says with some understatement. "It's been mad. I haven't even had time to think about it all but I'm happier now than I've ever been.
It was a relatively low budget gangster film Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels that changed Ritchie's world overnight.
The 1998 movie took more than 11 million pounds at the British box office, caught the eye of Hollywood stars such as Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt and so impressed Madonna that she released the soundtrack on her own record label. Now, of course, the pair are an item and have just celebrated the birth of their first child Rocco.
"Fatherhood is great," enthuses Ritchie. "It's unlike anything else I've experienced and it's always going to come first for me now."
His relationship with the 40-year-old singing sensation has also defied critics who said it wouldn't last, not least because the pair were living in different countries when they met.
Now the pair divide their time between London and Los Angeles and it's clear Ritchie, 31, is besotted with his new family.
He jokingly refers to Madonna as "The Missus" and even included one of her songs Lucky Star on the soundtrack of his new film Snatch.
"The missus wants to be a singer," he says. "I thought I'd give her a break, open a few doors. I suspect she's going to be big."
It wasn't just Madonna who wanted to be in on the act though. Some of the world's biggest stars were queuing up to get involved in Snatch, including Brad Pitt, who was so desperate for a role in the diamond heist drama that he called Ritchie personally to tell him he'd do it for virtually nothing.
"It was very flattering," recalls Ritchie. "He was one of the lads right from the start, a top boy who doesn't mince around. Out of everyone he was probably more of a gent than anyone - he made cups of tea for the punters on set."
In the movie, which opens this week, Pitt plays a bare knuckle fighting Irish gypsy whose talents are put to good use when he becomes involved with a bunch of diamond thieves and East End gangsters.
The film, which also stars Vinnie Jones and EastEnders actor Mike Reid, looks set to match the success of Lock, Stock, but Ritchie admits he was worried he wouldn't be able to pull off another big hit.
"With Lock Stock I had nothing to lose, you just give it your best shot," he explains. "But I didn't want to disappoint people with this one, including myself. So there was a bit of pressure, but I was happy with the end result."
However, he seems genuinely unexcited by becoming a major player in Hollywood and the fact that he's been hailed as the British Quentin Tarantino.
"He's obviously a very talented filmmaker so it's flattering if anything, but I'm completely unfazed by comparisons," he says.
"Having success in America is not something I lose sleep over either. It's obviously good if something does happen over there, but I'm perfectly happy being successful here really."
Not that he has any intention of resting on his laurels. A self-confessed workaholic, Ritchie admits he won't even be taking any paternity leave for little Rocco.
"I think it's important to move on straight away," he explains. "If you want a job done well, ask someone who is busy, I love what I do and I'm inspired by the fact that I enjoy what I do."
Part of Ritchie's reluctance to take things easy stems from the fact that he was severely dyslexic at school and spent much of his early 20s in a drug fuelled haze without any sense of purpose or direction. He admits there's a lot of catching up to do and is eager to pursue other projects - one of them being to direct a children's film.
"It's true," he says, "I'm very keen on making a kiddie movie actually. I meant to go into making kiddies film to begin with. I got lost somewhere on route," he adds with a smile.
He also wants to try his hand at making romantic films, and, if all that doesn't keep him busy there is of course always the prospect of directing the missus.
"I'd like to direct one of her music videos," he says flashing the Cheshire Cat grin once again. "I'm sure I'll get round to doing that at some stage."
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